What the aged know that the young must learn

“I don’t feel any different - I can’t believe I’m 90!”

That comment - with varying changes to the number - is not uncommon. I have heard it repeatedly from those whom others would describe as old. Currently, my mother-in-law is slowly coming to terms with her increasing frailty at 93, although she seems to be constantly surprised by it.

It is hard to lose your independence and control. I say to her that it will be my turn one day. There is no escaping the relentless progress of time and decay: "Meaningless, meaningless" says the Teacher in Ecclesiastes using the multi-layered Hebrew word hevel (meaning passing/transient/fleeting). The voice in Ecclesiastes is like a relentless drumbeat throughout the book - nothing lasts forever, remember you will die - learn about life from visiting the funeral parlour.

In denial about age?

We live in a culture that pushes this out of sight. Many of us live in intragenerational worlds rather than intergenerational ones. So families are separated by geography, as work and careers take people not just all over the country but across the globe. Children experience their grandparents for short visits and Zoom calls. The elderly population is increasing, but our lifestyles separate us from one another.

However, out of sight isn’t out of mind. We are obsessed with age. We want to defy it. Our news outlets extoll those who seem to succeed at this. They effused over the likes of Nicole Kidman (57) and Demi Moore (62) at the Oscars. They found it incredible and brave that Pamela Anderson (57) did the award season without make-up. Articles about the strength of Tom Cruise (62), who does his own stunts abound, and the gushing associated with Helen Mirren (79) and Harrison Ford (82) knows no bounds. Articles follow about fitness and health, the best exercise regime, and what you should or shouldn’t eat.

Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire, invented what he calls a new sport - he is a rejuvenation athlete. He displayed his extreme lifestyle, which apparently costs him $2milion a year, on a Netflix documentary called Don’t Die. He has a website rejuvenationalolympics.com, where you, too, can join in. The price begins at $249 for your first TruAge test. The Telegraph reported this week that he is ‘facing questions over the efficacy of his line of anti-ageing supplements and claims that he attempted to silence his staff.’^[1] The Preacher in Ecclesiastes would not be surprised.

A vital lesson

Understanding that we grow old is a vital life lesson for the young. It is good to eat well and exercise. My husband, wearing his dermatology hat, would add - use sunscreen. But we will age and decay.

The poem at the end of Ecclesiastes is one of the greatest descriptions of ageing. The heart of it is a cry to remember your creator now. It is a cry that says time is short - use your time wisely because one day, God will judge everything done during life. It is a tremendous evangelistic cry to the young. Remember the Lord!

We do not have an antidote to ageing - there is no supplement that can reverse the fall. Everything is hevel, but the gospel is not hevel. Christ was raised imperishable, and His blood shed us stands as our rescue for eternity. He has won for us an inheritance that can never spoil or fade. It is the gospel alone that overturns the frustration of this creation. This is its power. This is Christ's glory. This is our Easter celebration.

I love the way Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians ends:

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

After the richness of his discourse on the glory and certainty of the resurrection, there is a grounded, practical appeal. Work! Get on with good gospel work. One lesson older people have taught me is that time is fleeting, so use what you have well. Their stories and wisdom can help us access what matters.

^{[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/03/23/bryan-johnson-eternal-life-health-company-silicon-valley/ 23 March 2025}