Today, let’s push back against feelings of irrelevance that can creep into our lives as we age.
We are living in a time and a culture where everyone wants to stay young as long as they can. Very few people want to get old. Indeed, this has always been a human desire, spawning famous quests for elusive fountains of youth and experimentations with medications and surgeries. But it seems to be an especially strong pull here under Hollywood’s shadow in Southern California. Actresses and actors today often peak in their thirties or forties and then it’s a fight to hold onto their youthfulness for as long as they can. I empathize with those feelings as well as the fears that can accompany the inexorable march of old age; however, in God’s kingdom, it is a completely different reality.
In God’s economy, we do not become irrelevant as we age. Rather, with age come increasing respect, esteem, and wisdom to be shared with the world. Granted, if you are only living for yourself or to stay on the cutting edge of success, then perhaps you will face some increasing irrelevance as you get older, but that does not have to be your experience. And it will certainly happen less if you are living to serve the generations around you.
The person who invests their life in others and cares for the generations is always needed on the team. No one ever becomes irrelevant when they are loving others and pursuing a great cause. So, if you are feeling irrelevant, arrest those thoughts and critique them. Judge them to see if you need to find a greater purpose. If you are only viewing the world through the lens of your personal wellbeing, lift your gaze higher. Serve the people around you, find someone to pour into, and your life will always teem with relevance.
“For love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus…” (Philemon 1:9 NASB)