The Secret Power of Old People

Vickie Williams-Tillman was 57, listening to gospel music running errands before church when she spotted a police officer in a scuffle with a man.

When the officer indicated he needed help, Vickie called 9-1-1. But her assistance didn’t end there.

She exited her car and headed toward them, suddenly noticing both men had their hands on the officer’s weapon.

That’s when the 5’2” woman jumped on the suspect’s back. All three of them toppled to the ground but by then, back up had arrived.

When interviewed, Vickie said, “I know some people who say they would never have done what I did, but that is them and not me. One thing about me is that I’m not worried what people think of me. All I’m worried about is what God thinks of me.”

The grateful officer had only one thing to say: “I’ve been an officer for 22 years and never had anybody help me like that. You don’t want to mess with that grandmother.” — Billy Aime, Baton Rouge P.D.

In ages past, men and women of “a certain age” were set aside, overlooked, put (as they say) out to pasture.

For those of us who lie down in the green pastures of the Lord, that doesn’t necessarily amount to retirement—and it shouldn’t.

We have a call on our lives to follow Jesus and there’s no expiration date on that call.

The world needs the light inside us now. Did you know that light doesn’t age? Truth.

Bodies change. Energy levels vary. Faculties shift. But the light of Christ within us continues to shine.

I’ve written about it before, I know, but many biblical heroes were well into their senior ears when God pressed them into service. Mr. and Mrs. Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joshua and Caleb, Daniel, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Kingdom living is not the sole purview of youth. In light of eternity, we’re all just starting out, really.

In fact, there are some tasks, I firmly believe, for which we older believers are specifically designed.

Some stories that can only be told by those who have lived for decades. Some adventures that await until there is significant road behind us. Some battles best fought by veterans of the fight.

By faith, God qualifies us for service. In fear, we disqualify ourselves. True at any age but more prevalent as time goes by.

Perhaps, we’ve longed all our lives for a particular part in God’s story only to have decades pass with no appearance of a place for us in kingdom adventures.

If we listen to the world around us, we can imagine it’s all over at fifty, sixty, seventy, or beyond.

But, if we listen to the Holy Spirit and read God’s Word, we know that nothing is over until God calls us home.

We are not limited by age. In fact, age is an asset, a gift, according to God’s Word.

Asset how?

As we age, we lose the fear of what others think.

We gain perspective on change.

We carry history that informs.

We understand the brevity of our days and the urgency of sharing the gospel.

Our peers are drawing closer to the end and asking important questions, providing opportunities for spiritual discussions.

We know how little some things matter and how much others do.

Our invisibility and wrinkles can be an advantage in ministry as the young underestimate or discount us; we can come in under the radar with truth and compassion.

We often have resources of time, focus, and finances the young must invest in building their lives.

As the Holy Spirit has done His work in our lives over decades, we’ve developed self-control, knowledge, patience, perseverance, and tested love that is fierce and unyielding.

We’re done with many sins (though some continue to be a battle).

We’re able to take God seriously without taking ourselves seriously.

We know how to celebrate, to rest, to persist, to risk, to speak up, to act, and to shine without envying others their light.

We’ve learned to wait for our rewards, knowing they will be best on that great day.

We are, quite simply, finely honed tools in the hands of a great God primed for service.

Don’t waste it.

Don’t dismiss what God can, and will, do, both in you and through you in the years from fifty to glory.

Moses and Caleb and Joshua were men like any man you know. God made the difference.

Sarah, Anna, and Elizabeth were women like any woman you know. God made the difference.

The time is too close for Jesus’ return to let any of us retire to the compound and wait out the war for souls enjoying teatime and regaling one another with stories from our youth.

Now. Now is our time to shine. Light doesn’t age. And perhaps our skin and hair and bones thin to better let it shine through.

Let God surprise you. Let God surprise others through you. We can be His incognito kingdom warriors. Let’s see what He will do!

Go ahead. Join that ministry. Finish that book. Volunteer at the place. Create that business. Help that police officer. Write that screenplay. Travel to that orphanage.

Don’t be afraid to begin work you’ll never finish. Leave a legacy for the next generation of leaving everything on the mat and dropping your tools as you enter glory. Start something the next generation can pick up and carry into their final days.

People are dying in darkness for the light that has guided you. Let it shine, even now, let it shine.

If you live and breathe, it’s not too late. There’s more adventure to be had. Get at it, now.

Jesus is worth all that.

Feeling your age? Good. You might just be ready for what God has planned. https://t.co/ZUaFGQ55DJ #aging #amwriting

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) January 18, 2023

 

Here is a brilliant interview with medical missionary Helen Roseveare recorded when she was around 85. The light of Christ shines within her!

 

Bible verses on aging, out of context, for you to read in your own Bible and see what is around them:

“Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.” Deuteronomy 34:7

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

“Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” Ecclesiastes 7:10

“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

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28

“yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—” Philemon 1:9

“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 71:18

 

If God has placed a work or ministry on your heart and this post has inspired you, I’d love to chat and encourage you. Reach out to me anytime either through this website or my other website.

If you’re a Christian writer “of a certain age,” be sure to join our group of Elizabeth Writers on Facebook. If God could bring new life through Zechariah and Elizabeth, He can still birth new life through us.