LifeDate Fall 2025 – Life … as We Age
by Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske
It is very common in our society to attempt to place a value on other people based on their output or ability to perform certain tasks. It is often assumed that the more a person can do, the more valuable they are. Not only has this line of thinking led to the destruction of thousands of precious lives to abortion and physician-assisted suicide, it has also driven many people to the point of despair. Pastors will often hear their aging parishioners tell them that they feel worthless and unfit to live because they can’t be useful or productive anymore.
We must always keep in mind that we are all saved by grace through faith, which is the “gift of God, not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This means (among many other things) that no person’s value is determined by their ability to perform a task or be productive. Every person’s value is bestowed upon them by Christ Himself, who made us and redeemed us all with His precious blood. This makes every human life priceless in the eyes of God and worthy of His care and protection, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
But St. Paul goes on to remind us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Those who have been redeemed by Christ rightly desire to love and serve. So, while our worth is never determined by our ability to serve, we must also recognize that someone’s desire to serve their neighbor is a good, godly desire. Likewise, the frustration that many of our aging and elderly brothers and sisters experience as they grow weaker is legitimate and should be handled with love and compassion.
I have often turned to St. Paul’s words to the Philippians when talking with someone who is bearing this cross.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:21-23).
Through Paul, God leads us to remember several wonderful truths. First, that while death remains our enemy and is never to be sought as the answer to our suffering, the death of a Christian means eternal gain. And second, that as long as our earthly life remains, it is Christ’s will. And if it is Christ’s will that we remain, He has fruitful labor laid up for us! No matter a person’s age or physical condition, if God has given them life, He has also given them great purpose.
The following is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it does provide a few ideas of what this might look like for someone who has reached the age where they can no longer provide the loving services they once did.
You can preach and pray. As the Psalmist proclaims, “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” (Psalm 71:17-18). There is no greater service you can provide for another than to tell them about the love of God in Christ and to intercede for them to the Father in heaven.
You can serve as an example of faith and perseverance to others. God promises us that “… 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” (Isaiah 46:4). The Lord will sustain us until the day that He calls us to His nearer presence. Bearing the cross of aging with grace and dignity by the faith that God supplies will be seen by others and can strengthen them to do the same.
You might become the instrument by which God teaches others to bear their crosses. As a person reaches the stage of needing more assistance from others, God uses them to teach others (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.) how to patiently love and serve as He has loved us.
Again, our worth is never determined by what we do. God has given us value by creating, redeeming, and calling us as His own. Still, we can be comforted knowing that even as we age and reach the point where we can no longer be active, God not only watches over us and cares for us, He accomplishes great and wonderful things through us.
May the Lord of life grant us the faith and the strength to bear the crosses of aging in such a way that others are led to see the love of Christ manifest in us!