You’re Too Old to Quit
Joshua and Caleb are two of my favorite men of the Bible. These two stood out from the crowd when the Israelites sent tribal representatives as spies into the land of promise. Of all the spies, only these two reported that God would see them to victory. Yet, there is more to Caleb and his story than often is covered in typical Sunday school classes.
I love the account of Caleb as an older man, many years after the spy story. When he spied the land, he was forty. Now, according to Joshua 14, he is eighty-five. More than twice the age he was at the story most remember, this godly man had not given up the faith, had not retired, and was ready for the next adventure.
I love this verse where Caleb comes to his co-spy, Joshua, who is now the leader of the Israelites. He has a request of Joshua and begins as most would, by reminding Joshua of the story of adventure and covert spying (Joshua 14:1) then brings the request for the land promised him in the days of Moses.
Caleb is now 85 and if he lived in the United States today, he would be decades into retirement, collecting his Social Security and annuity payments, and perhaps considering a relocation to The Villages. At any rate, he would be justified in saying "I have led a good life. I am retired. I served well and did my part. Now, I can rest and enjoy life."
But that is not what he said. Surely, he had land promised to him and his descendents, but there were still others living there. Therefore, to stake his claim, he would have to defeat those who were not promised the land. But...he's eighty-five years old. Maybe this is a battle for his children or grandchildren? Certainly, a younger man would have more chance of victory.
But, note what Caleb said to Joshua in verse 11 of Joshua 14...
I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.[1]
This reminds me of some of the war veterans have known through the years. Regardless of grey hair and arthritic joints, no one would want to mess with these men.
Now, we’re not working on a land invasion, but perhaps we should consider the vitality of Caleb at this juncture (and he is just one of many senior adults in scripture) when thinking of faithful service in the local church.
A healthy church is an intergenerational church. Yet, many local churches tend to skew to one generation or the other. This is evident in music style, event opportunities, and programming.
There is much to discuss in this area, but I am thinking of some of the research and data presented by Bobb Biehl. Perhaps you have heard of Biehl. As an author and speaker he is known as an executive mentor. For those who have read business leadership books over the years, Biehl is a familiar name. He has authored over 35 books on leadership and management and has consulted with over 500 clients and met one-on-one with over 5,000 corporate executives.[2] As a Christian, he brings biblical foundations to his training.
I was working through a church leadership training conference earlier this year and the speaker referenced Biehl. The speaker mentioned that Biehl states the most effective decade for service and action is during a person’s fifties. The second most effective is during their seventies. This caught my attention. In our world, just look at the marketing strategies of products and the target market for television shows and movies. The demographic between ages 18 and 30 tend to be the target. There are variances of course, but most marketing for older adults centers on new prescription drugs, funeral planning, and maybe some hidden Social Security benefits. These are the advertisements that run on the channels that show Matlock, Little House on the Prarie, and Andy Griffith Show reruns.
The aging population is often under-served and under-utilized in our culture., not to mention within the local church.
Within the church world, frustrations grow. We end up with faithful members who have decades of life experience and giftedness settling for doing very little within the body. Sadly, this may be due to an overlook or ignoring by leadership. However, it can also be the choice of the church member. How many times have we heard “I served my time. It’s time for someone else to step up.” While true, it reeks of spiritual retirement.
To be clear, there is no such thing as spiritual retirement. There is sinful avoidance of Christian responsibility, but no such permission granted in scripture to retire from the faithful service of our Lord. I encourage you to search online for John Piper’s story of the retired seashell collectors regarding this.
Back to Biehl – I was watching him teach online on the focus and emphasis for each decade in life. I fast-forwarded to my age and wanted to hear what he said about those in their fifties. What he said rang true for me. He stated that from ages 50-53 there are days when you just “feel over the hill.” There are aches. There are days when feeling old is your theme for the day. The over the hill concept, however, is interesting. He states that this is due to people thinking about ages birth through 100 and thus, if your fifty, you’re at the top of the hill and rushing downward. This tends to be common. Ultimately, this mindset tends to short-circuit our service and effectiveness.
There is something within this decade that must not be ignored. Rather than lament the years past, this is the decade where we are positioned well to maximize our sixties. Rather than simply thinking about retirement and escape, a maximizer thinks of deeper things. The big question for the Christian is “Who am I mentoring right now?”[3]
In the local church where age-divisions are considered normal, there is no natural journey to next generation mentoring. Perhaps this is something the local church must consider?
Suddenly Titus 2 makes more sense. Older women mentoring younger women. The Paul-Timothy relationship shows this as well.
The best decade of life may just be the one you are walking through right now. Regardless of one’s age, we must consider this reality. Are we mentoring another? This is a modern way to say “Are we discipling another believer?”
Can we look to those like Caleb and say “I am as strong today as I was then?” Maybe not physically, but spiritually, the decades of life for a faithful follower of Christ refine and sanctify us and it would be a waste to not thank God for the past while we look to the future. In the meantime, in the present, we must consider how we can serve today and perhaps seek the one (or ones) we will mentor and disciple, all for the glory of God and the good of his church.
As John Piper stated, “Don’t waste your life.”[4]
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[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jos 14:11.
[2] “Bobb Biehl: Executive Mentor.” Bobb Biehl, bobbbiehl.com/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
[3] Biehl, Bobb. “Bobb Biehl // DECADE by DECADE.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfWqBSUYxAE.
[4] Piper, John. Don’t Waste Your Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003).
