The headline grabbed my attention: ROMNEY MODELS GRACEFIL EXIT FOR AGING POLITICIANS. (The Commercial Appeal, 9-2-24-23). Who could not know to what the article was responding? We are in a political season of a coming presidential election, and there’s never been one quite like this one as it relates to the two primary candidates being considered: one showing obvious signs of senility, the other facing a number of legal indictments.
I have political convictions and am not shy about sharing…the big one as it relates to this particular issue is that I am hoping that other candidates will emerge and we will not be forced to choose one of these. But that’s not my primary concern in my reflection here.
The headlined news article was inspired by Senate Matt Romney announcing his intention not to run for re-election, indicating at 76, if he won, he would be in his mid-eighties by the end of the term.
I’m 89, and I’ve had to think of age for as long time, and I’m still working though in a limited, free-choosing way. There are some important truths I have claimed and hopefully observed. Long ago, Psalm 90 grabbed my attention and became my guide and inspiration as I dealt with my own aging.
“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. (verses 1-2) …oh, the eternity of God!
.Thou dost sweep men away; they are like a dream, like grass which is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.”(verses 5-6) …oh, our human frailty!
Then there is that additional piercing word that underscores how fragile and frail and tenuous life is: “Our years come to an end like a sigh (verse 9)”- Fragile, frail, tenuous – that’s human life.
There’s much more in the psalm, far more, but I have made verse 12 my prayer. “So, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Verse 12)
How do we cope with aging, not the aging of others, but our own aging – how do we respond to Romney’s “graceful exit for aging politicians”?
My first suggestion is: Don’t give in to procrastination.
As we grow old, especially when we come to retirement, the temptation is to procrastinate – to put off doing things. We do it because we think we have all the time in the world, and there’s no point in being in a hurry. That can easily become a negative habit. Procrastination can become a lifestyle, and it doesn’t add anything positive and creative to life. Don’t give in to procrastination.
My second suggestion is: Don’t use age as an excuse.
There are some benefits and privileges that come to us as we grow older – but there is a real danger that we will use age as an excuse. The danger is that we’ll fall into the snare of taking for granted preferential treatment, expecting it, rather than being appreciative of it when it occurs.
Carried to the extreme, some persons fall into the trap of feeling that when they reach their age, they have a right to be short-tempered, anxious rather than calm, demanding rather than generous and giving, set in our ways rather than flexible and spontaneous. Nowhere along the way is there an excuse for being less than the loving and lovable person God and others would have us be.
As important, the next action step is this, keep a struggle going – keep something in your life with which you have to struggle, something that will demand commitment, energy and imagination.
A common false the notion contentment is the goal of life. It’s for our benefit as well as for the kingdom’s sake that we need to hear God’s call to ministry, that we need a cause for which to labor, some work to do that is unselfish and serves the desperate needs of others, some struggle that will engage our imagination and energy.
Let me say it again, don’t procrastinate, don’t use aging as an excuse, and keep a struggle going. If we practice these, we will stay alive while we are growing old.
My three words will serve you well as the word little girl said to her grandfather, “Granddaddy, I hope you stay alive all your life,” is a word I’m seeking put claim, and I offer it to you.