It occurred to me that a pleasant way to draw the series on “being elderly” to a close would be to bring in an aspect I have not yet mentioned – “the golden years.” This euphemism for “old age” came about sometime in the mid 20^th century – depending on the source you ask. Some say the term was first used in 1945 to refer to “the advanced years of life,” especially the time after retirement when leisure pursuits replace employment. It has also been used to refer to periods when someone or something flourishes. 

One of the first recorded uses of the phrase, “the golden years” was as an advertising slogan in 1959. It was coined for American’s first large-scale retirement community, located in Arizona. It was a new idea – retirees leaving homes and families to seek purpose in pleasure and new endeavors instead of a quiet retirement in the homeplace. The concept was an overwhelming success as noted by the proliferation of retirement homes and villages located throughout America today.

A contributing factor was the growing number of people living longer. In 1900 the average life span was 45. By 1950, it had increased to almost 70 years. Although the population had doubled, the number of people over age 65 had quadrupled. Eight percent of the entire population had reached their “golden years.” By 2019,16.5 percent of the American population fell into the “golden” category, and this segment is expected to continue to grow and reach 22 percent by mid-century.

This term generally refers to those between the ages of 65 and 80 who are in the span after retirement and before physical, emotional, and cognitive decline take their toll. How well you have taken care of yourself during the previous years will affect the length of this period. Some who are now experiencing their golden years caution the younger generation not to wait until 65 to begin enjoying life and taking some time to relax. 

Whether you are still on your journey to destination “golden years,” have just arrived, or have been there awhile, today I want to encourage you with some quotes and scriptures that apply to that time in life. Enjoy!

• You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis

• Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement. – Dwight L. Moody

• Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. – Benjamin Franklin

• I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am. – Francis Bacon

• Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age. – Hosea Ballou

• Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk. – George Macdonald

• Do you want a happy heart when you are old? Then get with the Lord and stay with Him. That is how it works. – Shelton Smith

• He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. Ruth 4:15a

• So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

• 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 46:4b

• Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalm 71:9

• Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old. Job 12:12

• But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him! Psalm 92:12-14

• The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29

• That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day. Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine. II Corinthians 4:16-17

• I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25