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TechnoratiJesus did say, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it” but He finished that sentence with, “and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33). Life is not meant to be “kept” – at least not by us. Life is to be given away. By keeping it, we kill it. In giving it away, we live.
The Purpose of Getting Old
As people get older, they see less and less of life before them, so they are tempted to retire from active pursuits and, instead, chase and hold fast to what has passed. We yearn for our glory days, replaying our golden moments while present opportunities slip by. (Even the best efforts to save someone’s life are futile. They only postpone death – and, even then, only for a little while.) The only New Testament reference to retirement that I can think of is the one where a man has done well, so he builds bigger barns to store his stuff so that he can sit back, take his ease, and “eat, drink, and be merry.” The day his preparations are complete, he dies (Luke 12:16-21). The moral of the story is don’t cling to the past, or rest on your laurels. We have been given, by God, lives to live. We should live them until we squeeze out every last drop of life.
As far as I know, no one has yet written a Wild at Heart for the elderly. I am not certain that anyone has to. The principles remain the same, though the understanding of “adventure” may need to be modified. When Carl chooses to save the house instead of Kevin, he puts out the flames and walks through the door. He tries to rearrange the furniture, to put his life back together. He goes to a closet and discovers his wife’s Adventure Book. He turns to the part where he thought she had saved out pages on which to write all of the things she would do once she arrived at Paradise Falls. Accidentally turning a page, he discovers that she had filled them all with photos and captions of their long marriage – a grand adventure, in her eyes. At the end, she writes that he is now to go on more adventures of his own.
Ellie’s reconceptualizing “adventure” to include the journey of their life together demonstrates that, viewed rightly, even the most mundane activities possess tremendous value. Carl returns home with Russell and becomes his surrogate grandfather. Carl keeps living, giving himself away, and teaching Russell the lessons of manhood – including the importance of keeping one’s promises. Snapshots of their relationship fill the adventure book of Carl’s life. He is no longer waiting to die, he is dying to live.
Solomon wrote, “A gray head is a crown of glory; it is found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). To gain the glory, you have to live the life. There is no age limit, and no retirement clause. If one has lived rightly, the purpose of getting old is to show the way to those who are younger. We are all in the midst of a long cross-country race. Some are near the beginning, climbing their first hill. Others, who are in the middle, may be trudging through a dark valley. Both can learn a lot from those runners whose perseverance has placed them within sight of the finish line. Before you cross it, be sure to look back and shout instructions and encouragement to those trying hard to follow in your steps.
Dr. Marc T. Newman, president of MovieMinistry.com, helps Christians use film to reach others with the Gospel. He also teaches in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University.
