Even to your old age and gray hairs,

I am He, I am He Who will sustain you

I have made you, and I have carried you,

I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

                                         Isaiah 46:4

    When one is asked which outreach ministry he would like to involve himself in, he would probably choose the orphanage, and the reasons are obvious:  little children are cute, innocent and docile. But who would ever volunteer to work in the home for the aged?  Not so many, perhaps, because old folks are generally grumpy, stubborn, and not so fond of taking a bath since their frail, threadbare bodies easily feel cold. Nevertheless, it is the one outreach ministry that has the most urgent need, if one were to consider that the elderly have already reached the departure platform of their lives -- and some of them do not even know the Lord. It is their last chance to establish a personal relationship with God.  Time is crucial!

     Let us consider what makes an old person grumpy.  After retirement or when the sons have taken over the business, he begins to feel useless and unproductive, unless he has a very understanding and supportive family.   As the members of his family involve themselves in their own affairs, he begins to withdraw more and more into himself, alienating himself from the rest, and his world gets smaller and smaller day by day. Conflict of cultures is another contributing factor that adds to his confusion and frustration.  In his younger days, people valued reverence for the elderly and respect for their wisdom; on the other hand, today's generation values independence, progress, technology, materialism, and the "old man's" word is regarded as "old-fashioned" or "obsolete."  Even if he lived with his family, he cannot help but feel like a burden. It's bad enough not to be able to connect with his loved ones, but imagine his dilemma when he finds himself entrusted by the people he trusts to the care of an understaffed nursing home.  The realization that he has been abandoned in his old age overwhelms him with feelings of hopelessness and betrayal.

     Many nursing homes provide just the basic needs:  food, clothing and shelter -- sometimes, not even enough.  I remember visiting a nursing home with my students and was appalled to see how the old women were stacking their pockets with food when it was being distributed. Bulging all over with their hidden supply, they kept coming back for more, pretending they didn't receive any.  When it was time for us to leave, some cried like children and clung to their visitors.

    The most urgent need, which is overlooked, is the need for meaning in life -- we're not even talking about spiritual needs yet -- just plain meaning.  Life is meaningless without a purpose. According to Dr. Ann Underland, whose seminar on Ministering to the Elderly I attended recently, this lack of purpose hastens the process of deterioration for even the elderly need to have something to do; something to care about in the few remaining years of his life.  This can be achieved if we, as Christians, reach out to them, not just by spending one day with them, but by visiting them regularly with a well-planned program, getting to know them personally and addressing their physical (Tai-chi exercises), intellectual (parlor games, discussions), creative (singing, musical instruments), and spiritual needs for only God can give true meaning to their lives and prepare them for the life after.

     To whom much is given, much is expected! The burden, then, is on us, dear fellow-Christians. Our Lord, Himself, spells out the urgency of this mission when He describes the plight of the elderly in Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 which says:

     Honor the Lord before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. It will be too late when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds. Your limbs will tremble with age and your strong legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to do their work and you will be blind too. And when your teeth are gone, keep your lips tightly closed when you eat! You will be afraid of heights and of falling, white-haired and withered, dragging along without any sexual desire. You will be standing at Death's door. And as you near your everlasting home, the mourners will walk along the streets.

     Ministering to the elderly is not as attractive. It is neither as easy as the other ministries, but when we take on the challenge of our Lord, the reward will be awesome because we will have chosen the road less taken.

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