Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well by Billy Graham

Author:Billy Graham
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Aging, Gerontology, ebook, Religion, Social Science, Aging - Religious Aspects - Christianity, Religious, Christian Life, Older Christians, General, Billy, Religious Life, Inspirational, Religious Aspects, Biography & Autobiography, Christianity, Graham, book, Biography, Older Christians - Religious Life
ISBN: 9780849948329
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2011-10-17T22:00:00+00:00

Think how you have instructed many,

how you have strengthened feeble hands.

Your words have supported those who stumbled;

you have strengthened faltering knees.

But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged. . . .

Should not your piety [your devotion to God] be your confidence? (Job 4:3–6)

WHEN CHRIST IS THE FOCUS

How do we overcome the perils that steal our zest for life? Let the promises of God’s Word, the Bible, uphold you every day. Turn constantly to Him in prayer, confident not only that He hears you but that even now Jesus is interceding for you. Focus your thoughts on Christ, and maintain your connection with other believers who can encourage and help you. The Bible’s words are true: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

In the weeks before her death, my wife, Ruth, repeated these verses over and over to us. Ruth was always thinking of others. This was her secret for getting through so much of life with joy. She never focused on her problems, she turned her attention to Christ, and He always led her to someone who needed a word of encouragement or a listening ear.

My sister Catherine was in a nursing home several years before her death. She had restricted mobility, and her health was fragile. But she knew all the residents and patiently listened to their concerns. She showed them the compassion of Christ and had many opportunities to witness. The Lord used her even in her own hours of weakness.

I have been told about an eighty-six-year-old lady who is dealing with debilitating illnesses, yet she goes from church on Sundays to the local nursing home to visit the elderly, read Scripture to them, and pray for them. She looks forward to this each week. She’s focused on others.

A ninety-six-year-old grandmother has “lots of time at home alone,” she says. “I just sit in my chair and go through my prayer list. My goodness, there are so many people to pray for that it seems I run out of time.”

Another lady inching close to one hundred looks forward every week to helping deliver Meals on Wheels “to the old people.” She’s focused on people.

The Lord blesses people who bless others, and He gives grace to those who focus on the things that please Him.

Life is seldom easy as we grow older, but old age has its special joys—the joy of time with family and friends, the joy of freedom from responsibilities we once had, and the joy of savoring the little things we once overlooked. But most of all, as we learn to trust every day into His hands, the golden years can be a time of growing closer to Christ. And that is life’s greatest joy.

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