I’ve heard older women say that they wish they could be of help to the younger women, but that the younger women don’t seem interested. And I’ve heard younger women say that they wish there was an older women who could come along side and help out, but they don’t know how to connect with any older women because they all seem so busy.

Yes, Titus 2 says that the older women are to teach the young women. But we older women often jump to verse 4 (“that they may teach the young women…”) by leap-frogging over the three verses which precede it.

If we back up and look at verses 1-3, we will see that we actually have a few marching orders of our own before we move on to instructing the younger women. I think it might be helpful if we think of these things as prerequisites. We can’t just skip over our own qualifications and look around for a young Read More

I love the analogy of seasons to describe our lives. The glories of Autumn are filling my windows with a breath-taking view right now, but in a few weeks the leaves will be gone. Middle-age is often compared to Autumn, and it has peculiar temptations like every other season of life. So I hope this little post, though targeting women who are in lower-middle, middle-middle, upper-middle or over-the-middle age, will get us thinking about some of the common bumps in the road, so we can steer clear. (Of course, women of all ages can be tempted in many of these same ways.)

These are common temptations, nothing new or tricky.

1. Over-sharing can be a sin. It’s tempting to share more than we should. We may be looking for sympathy, but we have an obligation to love our children and our husbands, and we ought to maintain a nice hedge around our family and be loyal. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

2. Forgetting is a sin. We should not forget what we are called to do! This is a high-impact time of our lives, and we are to continue to affect our family culture and church culture by being focused and faithful women. We should be a powerful force for good.

3. We can become self-absorbed. Because our children are grown, we may have more time and more money to spend on ourselves. This is not a bad thing in itself if we manage it properly. But we must be good stewards of our time and resources. Working out in the gym is fine. A pedicure is great. But we must not get too absorbed in ourselves, our weight, our looks. God has important business for us to be about.

4. Worry is a still a sin whether we are new mothers or grandmothers. We should not pick up new things to Read More

I had the pleasure of listening to my son give the commencement address at New St. Andrews College last week, and of course I came away with a new spiritual lesson to apply. He told the graduates that they had developed calluses from all the hard work of studying, and he charged them not to let those calluses get soft.

Those of you who are young moms have plenty of calluses as well. You are working hard to bring up little ones, and you’ve got some impressive signs of this work in both body and soul. But what about the older women like me? I’m finished with all the diaper and discipline duty. It is tempting to think that I can coast a little and take it easy. Women my age might imagine (in our dream world) weekly pedicures and shopping expeditions to the big city. Quiet days pottering in the garden. Hours on the porch sipping tea and flipping through magazines. You get the idea?

But all of us older women in particular must not let our calluses get soft. There is still much work that needs to be done, and the young women are supposed to look to us to set a pattern for them. So back to work I go, whistling while I’m at it.

The aged women in Titus 2:3-5 are to behave like holy women. That’s pretty straight forward, right? But Paul continues with some specifics because he thought the aged women might want some practical hints.

First, not false accusers. Older women are to watch what they say, careful to safeguard information that is confidential, and particularly not passing on false accusations. Women are sometimes tempted to attribute motives, and it is tempting to pass on their own opinions as though they were the actual facts of the case.

Second, not given to much wine. I suppose older women may have more leisure time to indulge in wine and that is why they are singled out for this exhortation. Older women are to be temperate, setting a good example for the younger generations. So older women are not to be party animals, not to always have a glass of wine in their hands. They are to be sober (serious); they are to be wise.

Third, they are to teach good things. The aged women are to be busy teaching the younger women good things. This doesn’t necessarily mean a class room setting. They may be teaching their own daughters and granddaughters, as well as other younger women with whom they have opportunity. Read More

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t look forward to grand-kids. And, I have to say, it is even better than they all say it is. For the past ten years or so we have had a baby or two to love on, and it has been very kind of God to give us another dose of babies after we have seen our own grow up. And after the baby stage, it keeps getting better.

But anyway. Despite the glory and joy of it all, grandmothers are still prone to fleshly temptations, just like we were when we weren’t grandmas. Big news, I know. If only the gray hair would bring perfection with it, wouldn’t that be nice? But, sorry to say, so far it hasn’t for me or anyone else I know.

So I am about to address one of those fleshly temptations, one that I have heard about quite a bit from young mothers, and I have seen first hand. It is this: grandparents hate to see their little adorable grandchildren receive correction and discipline from their parents. I’m not sure why it is so hard for grandparents, especially Christian grandparents, who really do believe what the Bible says about a father Read More

Many of you readers out there, from what I can gather, are young or youngish, so you may not be able to relate to this little post. But, depending on your outlook, I am pretty youngish myself, even though I am a grandmother of thirteen.

Doug and I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Maryland that some of his family’s long-time friends own and run. These long-time friends are in their eighties, and they maintain their home, guest rooms, and lovely grounds largely by themselves, as well as preparing delightful breakfasts for their guests at some pretty outlandish hours in the morning. We were struck by their kindness, their hard work, and their cheerfulness, the way they take everything in stride with competence and ease of spirit. They have served the Lord for many years together, and they know how to stay in step.

The biblical outlook on age and aging is antithetical to our culture’s infatuation with youthfulness and immaturity. The Bible describes the gray head as a crown of glory, and living to see your descendents’ descendents as a great blessing from God. The older we get, the more we should attain to wisdom, and this is our glory. The world, on the other hand, is seeking the fountain of youth, not interested in a godly wisdom. But it’s not enough to nod our heads at this while we really have more in common with the world’s take on aging. We Christians must truly believe what God says about this. Read More