Learn From Older People

Dear Younger Me,

What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How would you like people to remember you?

In church a few years ago, I heard a sermon and one of the points has really stuck with me: that you should think of the type of old person you’d like to be and start practising now!

It makes a lot of sense. If we get into the habit of being selfish, or lazy, or irritable, by the time we’re old those will be difficult habits to break, but if we work on being loving, and caring, and encouraging, surely it will begin to come naturally for us to act in that way.

I know that as you begin to consider old people whose example you can follow, your mind will go straight away to your great gran, and I agree, that’s a fantastic place to start. She always let you know she loved you, she always had time to listen to you, she found joy and contentment despite her health problems and limitations.

I’d encourage you to spend time with older people. They have so much to teach us. You’ll encounter some amazing older people along the way. There’s something special about talking with those who have followed Jesus for 50 or 60 years, hearing their stories of God’s faithfulness, and listening to how they pray. Take every opportunity you get for this.

Just a few weeks ago, I was delivering some flowers to a lady on her 80th birthday. I asked about her plans for the day, and she told me that her brother had planned to take her out for lunch, but something urgent had come up. She told me that instead she was going to get on a bus and go on a day out somewhere to spend some time with God and thank him for looking after her all those years. There was not a hint of sadness or hurt in her eyes as she told me this, only joy, gratitude, and excitement about her plans for the day.

That’s the type of old person I want to be!

So, think about it now, and start practising! We spoke already about the importance of being consistent. The little everyday decisions shape the person you’re becoming, so choose well, and hopefully one day we can be an older person others want to be like!

Love,

Me

This post is part of “Dear Younger Me…” – a series for Write 31 Days in October 2019.
Each day I am basing my writing on the one-word prompt provided.  Today the prompt is “person.”  You can find an introduction to the series and an index of all the posts here, and you can find out more about the challenge and check out other people’s series here.

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