The Forgotten Group

I believe the most difficult thing in the beginning stages of “senior citizenship” is facing so much death: death of loved ones, death of friends, death of classmates, death of pets—the list could go on and on. We watch as beloved parents deteriorate in multiple ways; we watch as friends battle cancer or multiple sclerosis until death claims them in its’ grasp; the number of our classmates keeps dropping, and our pets pass from our lives one after another. Meanwhile, as we deal with all this, we pray for God to keep us from a black pit of depression. At our age we’re too busy and too tired to run about like “those youngsters,” having tons of fun and shoving worries aside as if they don’t exist. We struggle to smile and act cheerful at work and at church, and we hang onto the hem of the Lord’s robe with every ounce of mustered energy within us. We finally find that the joy of the Lord truly is our strength. We are the forgotten group. We are not the widows, the orphans, the youth or even the couples who are joined at the hip. We are the ones standing to the side as we watch everyone else. We are the ones struggling to listen to the Voice of Truth as we fight to keep our heads above the crashing waves. AARP claims us as seniors, and yet we’re not old enough to get a senior citizen discount at the grocery store. We are desperately in need (in multiple areas) and yet receiving no help. We cling to prayer and wonder if anyone prays for us. The people around us have dinners and tea parties and yet we don’t really belong. The one place we belong, dear ones, is on the lap of God. He sees us, He hears us, and He understands us. He knows our struggles and our pain. He is our Strong Tower, our Rock. “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:24-25 ESV) You, dear one, are not alone!

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