Waking Up before We Die: Aging and Spirituality

In retirement, I have more time for prayer and reflection, to rest in the Lord, and hence to have my spirit renewed. We choose how we interpret our situations. Positive, spiritual aging ideas enhance our sense of well-being. Of course, the loss of loved ones decreases our sense of self-worth at times, but the Spirit can renew us. As Genesis reminds us, God was still working in the lives of Sarah and Abraham in old age, and they can serve as models for us. Indeed, Sarah laughed at the angels and shows us how humor exists even as we age. God wants us to be fully alive at all ages, even old age. While the old nursery rhyme/prayer says Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. We can also say, "If I should wake before I die." That's our hope, to wake and live before we die.