Note: This series will consist of five phases: Created-parenting, Pre-parenting, Parenting, Post-parenting, Grand-parenting. Each of these phases will have four sections.<\/p>\n
Section 1. Faith\u2019s Testimony\u2014Godliness (art. #13)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the <\/i>LORD <\/i>shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age.; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the <\/i>LORD<\/i> is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him\u201d (Psalm 92:12-15).<\/i> The post-parenting years are those years after the children are gone from home but before the grand-parenting years begin. We learn very quickly that we never stop being a parent. In fact, our children need us now as much as ever!<\/p>\n Do not let down<\/strong><\/p>\n I remember hearing a man speaking who said, \u201cI\u2019ve realized I\u2019m too old to die young.\u201d When we become \u201cempty-nesters\u201d we are not really that old. You probably are (or will be) still working, staying physically active, and traveling quite a bit. However, you are preparing for a very important time in life\u2014a time of great testimony to your children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n Prepare physically<\/span>. We know Paul said that godliness profits more than bodily exercise (1 Tim. 4:8) and this is obviously better than the other way around. Yet, if we lose our general health, we also lose many open doors for service at this important time in our lives. We don\u2019t need to be, or look, young again,\u00a0 or be obsessed with that vanity. Yet, precisely because we are not young, we need to be more careful with bodily discipline. After all, this body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20) and if it fails, so does our life.<\/p>\n Prepare mentally<\/span>. This may be the toughest area of the three. Most of us like to keep working or at least stay active. We can shake off the laziness by getting up and getting going, but study and mental work is not that easy. This is an area where we notice the most change from our younger days. The eyes don\u2019t last as long on the page, the mind doesn\u2019t focus as sharply, the mind begs for relief rather than strain. Solomon said, \u201cListen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days\u201d (Prov 19:20).\u00a0\u00a0 This is a time when we need mental strength to serve the Lord, the church, and our family. Job declared, \u201cWisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding\u201d (Job 12:12).<\/p>\n Prepare spiritually<\/span>. \u201cThe silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness\u201d (Prov 16:31). As Paul was sentenced to death, he asked Timothy to bring him his coat\u2014his physical need; his books\u2014his mental need; but \u201cespecially the parchments\u201d (2 Tim 4:13)! His spiritual need was \u201cespecially\u201d important to him even with limited days. At this point in life, we are not at the edge of the river, but we are at the edge of one of the greatest challenges of our lives. We must be the testimony, the counsel, the helper, the father and mother to our children at the most critical time in their lives. So prepare in every way you can to be ready for this challenge! We may be too old to die young, but we\u2019re not too old to influence and serve the next generation.<\/p>\n Recognize your priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n Several years ago I was visiting with an older\u00a0 minister friend over coffee. I was on my way home from a meeting and driving through his state, so I called him and asked if he had time to visit. He was recently retired (though in ministry that is a relative term) and so I had asked him how that was going. He said, \u201cMy ministry is now with my children and grandchildren.\u201d I have never forgotten his answer and, in fact, it changed my mindset about my later years.<\/p>\n God\u2019s service<\/span>. All believers are in God\u2019s service in one way or another. When we near the end of our \u201cworking years,\u201d we still have many profitable years to go in studying, witnessing, serving, especially prayer, and other Christian ministries. None of these can be done without God\u2019s strength and blessing. Our children and grandchildren need us to be people of God. The Psalmist asked God, \u201cDo not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails\u201d (Psa. 71:9). Later in the same Psalm he pleaded, \u201cO God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come\u201d (vss. 17-18). That is our greatest need.<\/p>\n Spouse\u2019s service<\/span>. God made Adam and Eve, husbands and wives, to be servants together, to leave father and mother and to be joined in one singular life. The old expression \u201chelp meet\u201d means we are specifically formed together for service. Paul used that expression in encouraging Timothy to be \u201ca vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master\u2019s use, and prepared unto every good work\u201d (2 Tim. 2:21, KJV). Your spouse and you have been preparing for years for this final part of your journey. It is the most important part.<\/p>\n Family service<\/span>. When God granted king Hezekiah fifteen more years of life, Hezekiah praised Him and said, \u201cThe living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known Your truth to the children\u201d (Isa. 38:19). Like my minister friend, Hezekiah realized that this time in life, the precious extension of life that God has given, is the time when our children are our ministry! Those olive plants around our table will soon have little seedlings of their own around their own tables. We know how to grow them and how not to grow them. It is tough service but the fruit is God\u2019s blessing.<\/p>\n Be a useful senior saint<\/strong><\/p>\n Godliness is the best legacy you can leave your children. The apostle Peter said it this way, \u201cMoreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease\u201d (2 Pet. 1:15).<\/p>\n Know your weaknesses<\/span>. As we grow toward our senior years, we discover many \u201cweaknesses\u201d within ourselves. We should all be growing past the lust of the flesh, and eyes, and the pride of life. Yet Solomon, the wise man who warned us about such things, failed terribly in these very areas in his older age (see 1 Kings 11:1-8), a failure we see too often among older people. More acute are the weaknesses of the aging process even as we are still productive in life. We use terms such as \u201csharpening our focus\u201d or \u201cnarrowing our priorities.\u201d Public speaking may not be as effective, artistic abilities may wane, patience may not be as easy. What is the area you need to keep sharp in order to bless your children?<\/p>\n Know your strengths<\/span>. The most wonderful memory I have about my grandparents is the slower, simpler life and the patience that went with it. How strange that must sound to today\u2019s youth. Young people today live in a maze of activity and busyness. But sometimes what seems to be a weakness in such a world can be a strength. Paul wanted his physical characteristics to be changed because he thought it would be an asset in his life. Paul writes, \u201cAnd He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me\u201d (2 Cor. 12:9). What appears to be a weakness in this culture may be the very power of God, and the very thing a young person needs.<\/p>\n Know your calling<\/span>. It is not necessary for you to become a different person in order for you to be an effective influence. Paul simply says to \u201cwalk worthy of the calling with which you were called\u201d (Eph 4:1). Again, \u201cLet each one remain in the same calling in which he was called\u201d (1 Cor 7:20). You have spent all these years sharpening the person and profession in which God called you. Your adult children still need you to be that person now. Show them what God can do in a person\u2019s life if he or she remains faithful. Stay in your church, be a witness for Christ, increase your personal devotions, help them any way you can with your time, talent, gifts, and especially godly wisdom. At this time in their lives, your kids and grandkids need that person.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Note: This series will consist of five phases: Created-parenting, Pre-parenting, Parenting, Post-parenting, Grand-parenting. Each of these phases will have four sections. Section 1. Faith\u2019s Testimony\u2014Godliness (art. #13) \u201cThe righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[984],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-senior-saints"],"yoast_head":"\n