Aging Greatly

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV

No matter our age, God can renew our strength. The God of the Bible makes his people resilient, determined, and unstoppable. Isaiah 40 describes a people whose strength is renewed and whose steps are fortified as they walk forward on the path of hope in God. 

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4 NIV

God promises that he will sustain us as we age, and the word “sustain” means to strengthen and support physically or mentally. This means that we can grow stronger in our faith and impact—not weaker—as we move through middle and late adulthood.

There’s no denying that new stages of life can bring new challenges—like aging parents, children leaving home (and often returning), and shifts in our health and responsibilities. Along with these situations comes the temptation to look backward instead of forward. We might feel chained to regret, unhappy with the choices we have made and unable to see a way forward. Or, we may look at the past with longing, wondering if our best days are behind us. 

In the midst of these challenges, it’s important to remember that aging also brings opportunities. At every stage of our lives, God can help us look forward to discover a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10), one that is filled with purpose and meaning. He helps us walk toward the future with a hopeful perspective, looking ahead to what’s next rather than mulling over what’s behind. 

If we choose to walk the steps of our second or third act with God, we can discover more of the great purpose he has in store for our lives. We will discover that God not only helps us age gracefully, but also greatly. 

Aging gracefully is the capacity to look forward, discovering the power of God’s forgiveness to leave yesterday behind and apply its lessons to a beautiful future. Aging greatly is living for something bigger than ourselves, which is exactly what God wants to help each of us do. 

Let’s look at how God can help us age gracefully and greatly as we enter into the second (or third) stage of our lives. 

Aging gracefully: Renewing and reinventing our faith

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

At any age, we can learn from the spiritual focus of the apostle Paul: He pressed on, looking forward to the prize waiting for him in heaven. He knew that his best days were yet to come. 

With age comes experience, which can be positive if we let these experiences become lessons that strengthen our future. But with experience can also come regret or longings for what we once had. We need God’s help to leave our regrets and longings behind if we are going to move forward with the same passion and purpose as Paul.

Leaving our regret behind

Some of us once sat in darkness, living in the dark shadows of death. We were prisoners to our pain, chained to our regrets.

Psalm 107:10 TPT

Regret has an imprisoning effect, making us feel like we can never move past our failures. God doesn’t want us to live that way, which is why he offers his grace:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. [12] It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

Titus 2:11-12 NIV

The grace of God is his unmerited favor. It is unearned and undeserved. It is powerful, and it teaches us that our past doesn’t have to define us. 

Grace motivates us to say “no” to our unspiritual ways of handling life and say “yes” to God instead. When we are chained to regret, our “ungodly” and “worldly” passions at this stage of life often take one of these two forms:

1. Living for pleasure
   Trying to numb the pain of the past, we live for what makes us feel good (Ephesians 4:17-19). This might include ambition, travel, alcohol, or any other passion that distracts us from feelings we can’t change.
2. Succumbing to our negativity
   Discouraged by the past, we quit on our faith and stop believing in God or his Word. 

God’s grace empowers us to say no to these temptations. We can live powerful, meaningful lives where we look to the future with renewed faith that no failure is too big for God. We can believe in God no matter how dark things may seem because his favor can turn our biggest mistake into our biggest victory.

Leaving our longing for the past behind 

At times, looking at the past brings feelings of longing rather than regret. As we reflect on the good things we no longer have, gnawing feelings of discontentment can eat away at our faith. 

Change is a natural part of the aging process, but it can be painful nonetheless. We might long for the days when we took our health for granted, or when our children were small and everything seemed simple. We might miss feeling relevant at work as a new generation of employees rises around us. And, most painfully, we might long for relationships we can’t get back.

In our moments of longing for the past, we must remember two things: 

1. God is a God of comfort who understands the pain and loss we feel (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Hebrews 4:14-16, Isaiah 40:27-29).
2. God is still working in our lives to lead us to a bright future (Job 42:12).

God can give us the ability to see our memories as part of our story, one that is not finished yet. A man named Job is an excellent example of this in the Bible:

So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. 

Job 42:12 NLT

Though Job suffered deep losses, his story wasn’t over yet. He received even more blessings in the second half of his life than he did in the first. 

We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.

Romans 8:28 Voice

God can work every piece of our lives into a beautiful future. When we believe this and trust God to do it, we will age gracefully—applying the lessons and experiences from our past to a glorious future. 

Aging greatly: Living for something bigger than ourselves

 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. 

Psalm 18:35 NIV84

God wants us to help us live great lives. A great life in God’s eyes means living for something greater than ourselves, not chasing the achievements, possessions, and pleasures of the world that will ultimately fade away.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [17] And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

1 John 2:15-17 NLT

Even the greatest things in this world eventually fade away, which we often become painfully aware of as we age. The pleasures we spend much of our time and energy chasing tend to leave us unsatisfied—things like the approval of people, or the perfect appearance, or the next big achievement. Even worldly wealth is, at best, temporary: 

“Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. [20] But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. [21] Your heart will be where your treasure is.

Matthew 6:19-21 NCV

As we realize the fleeting nature of the things we so often treasure, we are left to reflect on the true impact and meaning of our lives. 

Jesus taught that true greatness means caring for others:

Now came an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom! [47] But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little child beside him [48] and said to them, “Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring for God who sent me. Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.”

Luke 9:46-48 TLB

Similarly, the apostle Paul lived for the eternal purpose of saving souls with every step he took:

I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. [24] Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! [25] All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. [26] So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

1 Corinthians 9:23-26 NLT

As long as we live on this earth, God will always have an incredible purpose for our lives. In our second or third stage of life, there are unique ways we can use our time and resources to serve other people and help them grow. 

We can use the skills we have developed in life to help others grow spiritually, emotionally, and professionally. We can mentor people in their marriages, parenting, careers, or other areas of life. We can reach out to other adults in our life stage to build new friendships, using our time and interests to encourage people with friendship. We can devote ourselves to developing a deeper relationship with God so we have the faith to start a second or third act in our lives. 

They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.

Psalm 92:14 ESV

As we devote ourselves to living with purpose, our lives will bear great fruit for God. The lessons and experiences of our past will lead to a great future not only for ourselves but also for everyone with whom we come in contact.

Final thoughts

If we choose to walk into the second or third stage of our lives with God, we can be sure of this: our vitality will increase rather than decrease, and our capacity to renew and reinvent will allow us to chart a purposeful course for a flourishing life ahead.