How Will I be Treated When I am 120 Years Old?

A woman from Cuba wants to be officially known as the oldest person in the world, but her claim is being challenged. On February 2, 2012 Janua Bautista de la Candalaria Rodriguez said she was celebrating her 127^th birthday. If true, that would make her—at the time—the oldest person in the world by some 12 full years. Her claim is being challenged, though, because Gerontology Group, a Los-Angeles based organization that keeps records for the Guiness Book of World Records—states that her documentation does not look like it is close to that old. [1]

Whether Jauna is the oldest person or whether it is Besse Cooper of the United States (who is the official record-holder as of this writing)[2], to live over 100 years is still amazing. We marvel at those who are able to outlive their “three-score and ten” (Psalm 90:10); especially those who do so by several years.

What is sad, though, is that we live in a time where we might marvel at the number of years someone lives, but we generally do not show proper respect for the life that has been lived. In fact, in 2004, Adult Protector Services in the United States “received a total of 565,747 reports of elder abuse for persons of all ages,” and these came from all 50 states, plus Guam and the District of Columbia.[3]

While abuse is awful, how many more older members of our society feel left out, forgotten, or just plain lonely simply because we have decided that they no longer have real value to add to our fast-paced society?

Three Speeches to Remember

 The people of Israel stood on the very doorstep of history. They were looking at finally taking the Promised Land they had so long wanted to enter. An earlier generation had failed to trust God; thus, they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. They chose to listen to 10 spies who gave a frightful and bad report of the land instead of Joshua and Caleb, who reminded the people that God had already given them the land (cf. Numbers 13:25-14:12).

As punishment, the Lord said that those who had been fearful would not enter the land. Instead, they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years; one year for each day the spies had been in the land. In those four decades, every man and woman who had been fearful died. Now, as the new generation prepared to enter the land, only Joshua, Caleb, and Moses remained of the adult population from that fateful day 40 years earlier.

Moses, the great leader of these people already knew his fate, as well. Though he had been faithful in his leading, he did not fully obey God and acted presumptuously, so he would not be entering the land. He did get to see it from afar, and he was allowed to lead the people through the entire 40 years, but he would not enter.

But Moses was a respected man. He had led the people out of bondage in Egypt and now had led them through four decades in the wilderness. He had delivered the law of God on Mount Sanai (cf. Exodus 20), and had established a justice system for the people that still provides a model for our judicial system today (Exodus 18). He had been the one to help them find food and water. He had even saved them from being wiped out by the Lord after they failed to take the Promised Land (cf. Numbers 14:11-20).

A Contrast

 Consider this question: If Moses, at the age of 120 were to address our nation, would we listen?

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses gives a series of three speeches that are, essentially, his farewell address. In the final chapter of that book, we have the record of Moses dying at the age of 120. Most scholars suggest that the speeches recorded in this book took place of the course of weeks or months, not years. So, by any stretch, Moses was an old man when he delivered these words. In fact, he was the oldest person present by several decades!

And the people listened.

What a contrast that is to our society! Today, if someone with white hair (or no hair) stands up to speak, there is automatically some level of apathy. The “don’t trust anyone over 30” mentality of the 1960s generation has now borne fruit, and it is a society that does not care for the advice, wisdom, and worth of the aged.

The Example of the Israelites

What can be done to turn this trend around? I think we need to return to Deuteronomy. From this book, let me suggest three things the people of Israel did to honor this aged leader.

First, they gave Moses their time. Though the book is a series of three speeches (chapters 1-4, 5-28, and 31-34), it still takes some time to read through the material. The two shorter speeches are not exactly brief enough to put on Twitter! We also are not told of Moses’ speaking ability at this time in his life. Deuteronomy 34:7 tells us that, when Moses died at the age of 120, “His vigor [was] unabated,” but that does not indicate anything of his speaking speed. Most likely, it took a little while for him to give any of these addresses.

But the people still listened. They gave him the time to say what needed to be said in this very important moment. We often tell parents that children spell “love” with four other letters: T-I-M-E. In reality, the same is true for any of us. Each of us feels loved and respected when someone gives us of that most valuable asset, his time.

We live in a very fast-paced society. It seems that, the more time-saving devices and gadgets we have, the less time we end up with. As such, our time is more valuable than ever. It can be difficult to balance that with those who are older and often move and speak a little slower than we might like. Sometimes, that person might even be searching for words, or might want to stop in the middle of a speech just to rest. Too often, that causes us to avoid given an elderly person our time.

But we must give them of our time. That is the main way we show someone love and respect. Just as the Israelites did throughout these speeches, take the time to be around those who are older.

Second, they showed respect by listening. For chapter after chapter in the Biblical narrative, Moses speaks. Not a single time in this entire book (including one speech that runs for about 24 chapters) do we have a single word of interruption. Never! It is a great sign of respect that these people would listen to Moses for that long without a single word of interruption or signal of boredom.

We often let someone speak when that individual retires or when a grandchild (or great-grandchild) is born. We must ask ourselves, though, how often do we actually listen to what is being said? Do we treat these moments as just part of the culture, or do we hear the wisdom of the ages? Further, do we ever take the time to seek out the words of the aged?

When my paternal grandfather was aging, he lived in our home for awhile. I was in high school at the time, and my grandmother was in a nursing home just a couple of blocks from our house. I tried to visit her several times each week, and I tried to spend time with my grandfather as well. One of the frustrating things about that, though, was that I heard many of the same stories and tales over and over. To this day, I could quote many of them verbatim, having heard the stories dozens of times apiece.

Admittedly, over time, I stopped listening as well as I should. I might be in the room, and I might have been giving my grandparents of my time, but I was not engaged in the moment. Now, I would give nearly anything to hear those stories again! I would do nearly anything to hear the wisdom that only comes from living on this earth for decades, and that is told with such love.

When we truly listen to the words of those who are older, it is amazing what we learn about life, and about ourselves. There is connection in those words to another time, but there is also wisdom for our own time. You may hear some of the same stories several times, but later in life you will not regret the honor you showed to those who are older. The wisdom you gained and the respect you showed will far outweigh any time you gave to those moments.

Finally, they allowed Moses to leave as he wished. This is true both in his death, but also in his area of leadership. Moses led these people for eight decades. It’s hard to imagine anyone holding one job for anywhere near that length of time, but Moses did so, and was beloved for it.

He deserved some dignity in his “handoff” of leadership to the next generation. With the Lord’s help, it is no surprise that Moses chose wisely, and handed over the leadership to Joshua. This great leader would help God’s people conquer the Promised Land, as we read in the book that bears his name.

Dealing with an aging worker can be difficult for any group, but we need to show great respect to someone who has been loyal to a group or company for many years. Often, older people are just pushed out the door, as if they are an old piece of equipment. Instead, honor needs to be shown to those who would be so diligent for so long.

The same is true for when someone leaves this life. What type of medical care do they need? What type of funeral would that loved one want? Have you asked these tough questions? Doing so shows honor to one who has lived for a long time and deserves honor.

Conclusion

 I greatly doubt that I will live to see my 120^th birthday. That said, I pray that this study will help each of us realize two things: (1) our lives, no matter how long, will end; and (2) we need to treat those who are older with great respect. Do you listen when they speak? Do you take their words as wise input? Do you help them continue achieving their goals and dreams?

Let us, collectively, “rise up before the greyheaded and honor the aged” (Leviticus 19:32, NASB).

[1] http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/02/02/127-year-old-cuban-claims-to-worlds-oldest-living-person/

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people

[3] http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32350