Answers
By Billy Graham • December 16, 2017 • Topics: Aging
Q:
My husband just turned 50, and it's really hit him hard. Suddenly he thinks he's over the hill, and now he's always worrying about his health and his future. How can I help him? I wasn't expecting this.
A:
My wife, Ruth, grew up in China (where her parents were medical missionaries)—and one thing she always admired was the great respect the Chinese had for older people. The Bible says, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32).
Unfortunately, we seem to have the opposite view today; we value youth, and we tend to be afraid of growing older. Think of the billions we spend on cosmetics and medicines that claim they’ll make us younger! I suspect your husband has fallen into this way of thinking—but it’s wrong. Some of our best years can be ahead of us as we grow older.
The most important thing you can do is to encourage your husband to see himself the way God sees him. Perhaps he’s never thought much about God—but God made him, and God loves him and knows all about him. God also knows the future, and as we grow older we can trust our lives and our futures into His hands.
Furthermore, we are just as valuable in God’s eyes today as we were when we were born. If you and your husband have never invited Jesus Christ to come into your lives, I urge you to do so today. Then commit each day into His hands, and take delight in the good things He gives you. Let God—not the world around us—shape your lives and your attitudes. God’s promise is for you: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken” (Psalm 37:25).
