Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
Psalm 92:14 NLT
The winds of time blow swiftly—sometimes more so than I want them to.
I couldn’t imagine what a sixty-year-old person was doing in my college classroom, but there he was wanting to learn.
Eight years after graduating high school—and finally obeying God’s call to enter full-time ministry—I enrolled in college. Since I would be older than most college freshman, attending a traditional college where most of my classmates would be new high school graduates didn’t interest me.
Fortunately, I found a college that accommodated people in my age category who were entering ministry as well. But when a retirement age student walked into the classroom, I couldn’t help but wonder why God would call someone of his age. For a person in their late 20’s—as I was—a person in their late 60’s was near death.
Attending college with some older students taught me the truth of what the psalmist wrote: producing fruit in old age is not only possible but also expected by God.
Age is relative and certainly doesn’t prevent God from using us in His service. I have a Canadian friend who is in her 80’s and is in a nursing home but who still writes devotions for God.
In God’s work, there is no retirement age. Some places of employment require retirement at a certain age or after an employee has worked a certain number of years with the company. God doesn’t have those stipulations. He offers the best retirement plan—heaven—but He’ll never ask me to retire early … or at all. As long as we have breath, God has work for us to do.
Although age normally brings certain limitations, it never takes away all possibility of serving God. God always has something we can do that trumps any physical limitations age may place on us. If nothing else, we can pray or send cards of encouragement to those who need it. And finding younger people we can mentor in the faith is always a possibility.
Currently, I’m approaching the age some of those college students were when I thought they were ancient and when I wondered how God would use them at their age. But God is still using me, as He did them.
I plan to eat right (most of the time) and stay in good shape so I can serve God with vigor for as long as possible. Then when it comes time to enjoy His retirement plan, I can die satisfied—knowing I did all I could for as long as I could.
Don’t let age—along with its limitations and ailments—keep you from serving God.
