Aging Faithfully—can this describe what it means to truly flourish; to engage in Everyday Faithfulness that guides us into a long obedience in the same direction? Perhaps the overwhelming number of resources addressing the issue of growing older should provide some perspective on how many of us struggle with our Creaturely Finitude; however, I find Holy Confidence in the fact that there are $15 Mentors out there willing to share their wisdom with me as I move through the various Seasons of Life. And not only can I immerse myself in the books of Dead People, I am blessed to see living examples of those engaging in encore careers through various ministries like Campers on Mission.

In her book Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation of Growing Older, Alice Fryling shares her personal journey into embracing the stage of life involving retirement and beyond. It is her reflection on entering into this phase that she recognizes a need to cherish a new identity. “I recognize myself as a wife, a mother, and a professional person. I know my Enneagram space and my Myers-Briggs letters. But I do not know who I am (or who I will be) as an older person. This is a little scary. I like knowing who I am. I do not like not knowing the future. Like the ancient sailors with their antique (and inaccurate) maps, I do not know where I am going. So I set out to try to learn from others what the terrain looks like.” She describes the desire to navigate this season faithfully and in life-giving ways.

As I witness many colleagues retiring after years of service in their ministry and vocation, I pray for God to bless this next season of their lives, what I like to call an Encore Career. Ironically, the initial post to this blog was sparked by loved ones retiring from their second vocation of volunteering because the physical nature of the projects became too demanding. But what I saw demonstrated in their lives is what Fryling describes as Aging Faithfully, where “God invites us to flourish in our senior years, knowing that we are still producing.” Using the analogy of how God designed trees to grow and produce, Fryling offers this perspective: “As we grow into the senior season of life, we will be called on to make choices about how to nourish the trees that we are becoming…in this season, I can
celebrate being more fruitful, even as I become less productive. Up until now, I have validated my life by the tasks I get done and the accomplishments I achieve.”

Altering her pace from the Hustle Culture to Elderly Slow, Fryling recognizes that Aging Faithfully involves the need to shift values from “productivity, busyness, and constant activity,” into fruitfulness. She acknowledges that there “is a difference between productivity and fruitfulness. Productivity results from all the tasks I accomplish. Fruitfulness comes from within and includes nontangible ways I relate to others…Being fruitful is more out of our control than being productive. As we age, we may find that we are not able to do as many tasks, but by the grace of God, we may find that there is more fruit in our lives than ever before.” Because Aging Faithfully requires years of lived experience, I have a deep longing for Emerging Generations to engage in opportunities to be mentored and guided by those in later seasons of life. And that mentoring can be multi-directional! Fryling describes the importance of having a Posse or Tuesday People to assist in helping to process all the changes happening, even if that is simply being able say, “I’m Listening!” And I am willing to bet that if a younger person will just decide to Take It Slow, they will find a cooperative ear to return the favor of listening, even if it does require talking a little louder!

Everyone’s journey into Aging Faithfully will look as different as the earlier parts of life’s journey, but there is value in obediently serving our Lord and Savior in all the days of our life. And if we truly desire to know what it means to live a flourishing life, we should try modeling our lives after those who have already traveled the road ahead and are Finishing Well.

Is there someone in your life who is an exemplar at Aging Faithfully? Would you consider sharing in the comments below so that we might all benefit?

Reference:

Fryling, A. (2021). Aging faithfully: The holy invitation of growing older. [Kindle version]. The Navigators.