When I meditate on Psalms 71, I immediately think of my wife Chantal. For several decades, I saw Chantal call her mother and father several times every week. She visited them regularly and surrounded them with care, staying with them until their final breath. She has always been a role model for me when it comes to caring for parents in their challenges and end-of-life pain.
I really believe that this is our duty. I would even dare to insist that this is part of our calling as a church. With the fall in birth rates, our government systems are no longer able to respond adequately to the growing needs of the elderly. This is why we have chosen to build a church that is sensitive to the heart of God for our most vulnerable population. We honor them, love them, support them, care for them and ensure that they are involved with us in the work of God. Our lives and families are enriched by their presence and influence.
Did you know that God himself is committed to sustaining and carrying us in our old age? “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:3-4, NIV).
I dream of seeing our families in turn embody this heart of compassion towards the elderly. I dream of seeing parents protect their children who then become adults who in turn protect their parents. I dream of seeing people who understand not only the needs of their young children but also those of their own parents.
The biblical declaration “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (see Joshua 24:15) is not limited to just me. It is an inclusive and intergenerational biblical call where together we declare, “I, my children, my parents, my grandparents, we will all serve the Lord!”
This week, show care for an elderly person in your family or circle. As you do so, reflect on specific and intentional commitments you could make to embody the heart and command of God in “Honor your father and mother” (see Exodus 20:12).
Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.