LifeDate Fall 2025 – Life … as We Age
by Michelle Bauman, Director of Y4Life.org
Age is a blessing to youth.
As Y4Life Director, I don’t usually talk or write about the aging process. It’s not that I couldn’t speak about the topic; youth are certainly interested in knowing how to care for others as they age, and they definitely want to know how to address life issues that accompany the aging process. In fact, the youth I work with are both empathetic and compassionate when it comes to the elderly. They value the aged. Not once have I had to convince Gen Zers that old lives are valuable lives. They know. Even better, they agree.
So why not talk to youth about the process of aging? After all, they know they’re growing older. They’re aging just as quickly as you and I are, aren’t they?
Here’s why: Because aging, at least for youth, isn’t a life issue. It’s a reason to rejoice!
I’m sure you know that youth don’t talk about aging like the middle-aged do; instead of dreading the coming of another year, youth count birthdays with anticipation. Each year makes life brighter; each year brings them closer to driving or voting or serving or independence. Each year brings them one step closer to achieving the dreams they’ve been dreaming for a while. And even though there might be some anxiety about the future, I have yet to meet a youth who wants to remain 15 or 17 or 20 forever. Why? Because there’s way too much ahead in life to hope for. Adulthood is the goal. With it comes freedoms and exciting possibilities!
Yet, adults, especially those of us with a few decades under our belt, know that freedoms and possibilities typically result in responsibilities, responsibilities that shape and form us, responsibilities that beget maturity. And maturity, if all goes well, brings about a seasoned and godly wisdom. Responsibility. Maturity. Wisdom. All three are desirable gifts.
If good gifts come with aging, then it’s worth contemplating why most adults don’t look forward to getting older—why age becomes something to hide, to worry over, to remove from Facebook. Shouldn’t aging be seen as a gift rather than a curse, both privately and publicly? The answer, of course, is it should be. But it isn’t. And that’s because of sin.
Growing old would be easy if sin wasn’t involved. Without sin, there would be no aches and pains, no hip replacements or rotator cuff surgeries. No cataracts or bunions or broken teeth. No Alzheimer’s or dementia or frailty. But these ailments do exist. And all of them come with age. Instead of a walk in the park, growing old can feel more like a fall in the dark. The longer we live, the more the effects of sin compile and compound.
And sin doesn’t just break down our bodies as we age, it also burdens our relationships. The list of sins we have committed against others and the record of sins others have committed against us becomes increasingly lengthy. They’re too big and bulky to simply brush under the rug. They’ve done damage; they’ve left behind scars.
Unfortunately, because of sin, growing old is a crucible of sorts. It tests and refines us; it causes us to suffer. And suffering either causes us to turn inward or be turned toward God. That means aging isn’t for the weak of heart. Thanks be to God that His heart is compassionate and loving. His heart is strong and true. And His heart is ours.
Christ’s work assures us of God’s love not just when we are young, but when we’re in our latter years, too. He doesn’t leave us to age alone. Isaiah reminds us that God cares for us as we age; He carries us when we are frail because He loves us:
“Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (46:4).
Because of Christ, we can say with confidence that despite the wear and tear of sin, aging is actually a good gift. It is another day of life. It is one more piece of evidence that God, the best gift giver, still has gifts to give.
And our life is not just a blessing to us, it is also a blessing to others. In fact, age is a blessing to youth. Youth not only need opportunities to grow in responsibility, maturity, and wisdom, but they also need role models who display these gifts. They need mentors of the faith. Youth need YOU.
Christian adults who pour into youth the life-affirming truths of Christ’s love and faithfulness are gifts from God. They remind young people, especially during times of hardship and weariness, that this, too, shall pass. God is indeed faithful. And youth, often immersed in a secular world without hope, need to be told stories of suffering and triumph, stories of God’s faithfulness even in difficult times, again and again. Youth need to be reminded of the faithful people who have gone before them, the lineage of faith they come from, and the cloud of witnesses that not only surrounds them but is also, right now, cheering them on (Hebrews 11).
So, for those readers who are beginning to gray or who have already earned a crown of white, remember that aging is a gift. It is another great thing that God has done. And this great thing—LIFE itself—enables us to boldly proclaim the mightiness of God to the next generation alongside the Psalmist:
“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?” (Psalm 71:17-19).
In God’s Church, we have a beautiful picture of God’s provision for His people through His people: God works through seasoned adults to bring youth the gifts of faithfulness, constancy, and godly wisdom. Just as importantly, He works through youth to bring adults the gifts of joy and enthusiasm for the gift of LIFE. No matter how many years have passed, may we all rejoice in the gift of another day, another week, another year to live in His mercy, hope, love, and life.
Happy aging, friends!