For the last few years I have worked primarily with young people and children and it’s been an incredible blessing. Children don’t care for pretence or position; they don’t care how much you know; they don’t care how morally good you are, or what you look like. Most of the time they simply want to have fun, and I’ve found spending time with them has kept me grounded.
But in my new role as Pastor, I’ve spent more time with people at the other end of the scale, primarily with older people – and again it’s been a blessing. I went this morning to an elderly home and met a lady who is a long-standing member of the church but now cannot come because of the disabling combination of blindness and dementia. She said very little other than ‘who are you?’ every few minutes, and couldn’t see me, but being with her, and I believe with any of the older generation, has given me perspective. I then met with another lady who had a very active mind, but couldn’t walk well, and again meeting with her was very enjoyable.
So, here’s 5 reasons to spend time with the elderly generation:
- Their wisdom far suppasses yours – we can learn from them.
- They understand what is important in life – community, relationship, and God.
- They give perspective on your own issues – sitting with a 95 year old lady ready to die and be with God gives you a right view on your problems.
- You will go to bless them, and will come away blessed.
- If they are Christians, they will build your faith in God.
So, thank God for the Elderly. We have been created by God for community and for relationship – it keeps us grounded, gives perspective, keeps us alive, and brings vibrancy to life. What a shame that increasingly we live in a society where people keep themselves behind closed doors, or simply spend time with people very similar to themselves. This is why church is so genius (though I would say that wouldn’t I)!
What was amazing about the elderly lady with dementia was that whilst she couldn’t remember the names of her children, or even know where she was, when another man I went with started singing an old hymn, she immediately started singing to us. Locked into her subconscious were these special songs that had once meant so much to her, and she could still recall them. It was a sign to me that even if she had lost her memory, and to an extent her conscious faith, clearly God still had hold of her, and even if hidden, His light was still deep within her.
When I used to work in a residential home, I used to constantly worry about getting dementia and whether I would be able to keep my faith. It was like God was showing me that it was possible with a resident in this home. I felt sure she was a christian. She didn’t know what was going on, she spoke to the resident cat a lot and constantly mumbled, but in that she always had a massive sense of peace, and she always used to pray out loud, she was very different to the other residents who had dementia. Later on my grandmother had dementia (she died three years ago) and I could still see that she had a faith and loved going to church and like the person you were talking about remembered hymns.
Thank you simon – food for thought.