The special guide in this issue of Uplook focuses on the various ministries God has raised up throughout North America to assist families in providing care to seniors. As Administrator of one of the oldest facilities in the U.S. it sometimes comes as a surprise to people that I don’t recommend everyone should go into a Long Term Care setting. We are certainly thankful that over the years God has put it into the heart of godly men and women to lay the foundations for the thriving ministries we see today. However, even the worldling knows “there’s no place like home!”
We are thankful for every saint who has quietly and patiently accepted the challenge of opening their home for Mom or Dad. Consider some challenges they face:
1. The cost associated with creating a handicapped accessible home.
2. The disruption to life’s normal routine.
3. The physical and emotional drain of providing care 24/7, very often without support or relief.
Despite the challenges, the rewards are self-evident and we certainly want to acknowledge those who are lovingly taking up the challenge.
God’s Word lays a solid foundation, teaching how we as individuals and the church are to interact and respond to our seniors. Through example and through explicit teaching, we can derive a clear impression of what is intended by God as far as our relationship to the elderly is concerned. Our relationship with our own parents is a measure of how we will treat all our elders and authorities. Paul would remind the Ephesian believers, “Honor thy father and mother, (which is the first commandment with promise).”
Of course the circle of the aged with whom we interact extends well outside the family bonds. Paul, writing to Timothy, expands the teaching to include all elderly and addresses specifically the different ways in which widows without family and widows with family should be treated (see 1 Tim. 5).
“Rebuke not an elder…[entreat] the elder women as mothers.” Again we see that the way we treat our parents is pivotal to how we will treat all seniors in our circle of influence. As we search for examples, we can find none greater than our Lord Himself.
Remember that even in His anguish and suffering at Calvary His mind turned to that lowly woman who had borne His earthly body for nine months. As He entrusted her care into the capable hands of one of His dearest friends and closest confidants, we hear Him say to Mary, “Woman, behold thy son” and then to John, “Behold thy mother.”
Those who are entrusted with this type of relationship are granted a high honor and awesome responsibility. Let us pray for these who, like John, are taking on the role of being son or daughter to the fathers and mothers of others. Let us support and encourage those families whose circumstances make it unwise or impossible to provide the care in their own home. Let us draw alongside those in our assemblies who have embraced the challenge and may suffer discouragement, isolation and frustration. “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ”
Written by Brian Wilson