When you’re young, life’s possibilities seem endless. You may be broke, indebted even, but you’ve got time. Plenty of time. You’ve got energy to burn. Whatever you don’t know, you can learn. Whatever you don’t have, you can get. Then all of a sudden you’re a senior citizen. How did that happen so fast? 

Seniors sometimes don’t see their golden years as all that golden. Bad back, knees, or hips provide a steady baseline of daily pain. Dumb investments or a run of bad luck leave you with far less retirement money than you envisioned. Memory, agility, and energy diminish. That youthful optimism turns into sour self-pity. Confidence morphs into complaining. “I’m not what I used to be” is shorthand for “I feel useless.”  

But consider the story of Anna. “There was also a prophet, Anna. . . . She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:36,37). Inspiration! This senior saint didn’t stay home feeling sorry for herself and what she couldn’t do anymore. She did what the Lord still enabled her to do. She could still worship, fast, and pray. The Lord richly rewarded her vigilance and positive attitude—she was allowed to recognize her infant Savior in the arms of his mother, Mary. 

Is there a senior in your life who could use your help in finding significance today?