Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom
-Psalm 90:12
“Dear Dr.Sala, would you have any
suggestions to help people who have reached their 80s and feel very useless at
times? I am 82, in a wheelchair and have little energy.”
One: Come to
grips with the fact that you are here by the will of God. God makes no
mistakes, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the
plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His
will.” –Ephesians 1:11
Two: Realize
that your true value as a person is dependent on your character and not your
productivity. As we age, we tend to think that we are worth little unless we
are producing. The Bible tells us that you are valuable not because of what you
do, but because of what you are. Paintings and fine books become more valuable
with age, and so it is with people.
Three: Accept
your lessening strength with grace. “I greet each day as a gift,” says Beatrice
Cole, at age 90. She says that the last decade, from age 80 to 90, has been the
best gift of her life although she has been alone most of the time.
Four: Force
yourself to get out and mix with people. “After I lost Ethel,” says Frank
Emery, “I forced myself to get out, to travel, to play golf, to be with people.
It was the only way I could beat the loneliness.”
Five: Refuse
to accept defeat at your own hand. Loneliness never leaves us where it finds
us. We either greet it as a friend or as an enemy. As a friend, loneliness can
cause us to reach out and make new friendships and enrich our lives.
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