Another American Crisis

We are experiencing a national crisis which the majority of our citizens are totally unaware of. The reason why people don’t recognize it as a crisis is because a lesser form of it has been with us since the dawn of time. Many would simply refer to it as the results of aging, nobody lives forever, when your time is up, it’s over. The difficulty is that this crisis is generally reserved for those who are directly impacted by being short-timers in the game of life.

At the heart of the crisis is the fear and anxiety from the lack of a firm answer to an ever-present question, “Who is going to take care of me when I can no longer take care of myself.” The pressure of not having an answer is significantly exacerbated when funds are not available to hire people to care for you, or sufficient to allow entrance into an assisted living facility that provides everything you need.

In the past five months I have run into an increasing number of folks in their late 60’s and 70’s who are struggling with something individual Americans haven’t had to deal with before and are consequently very concerned about the personal ramifications of it.

The primary issues are these: a) Who will help take care of me as I advance into the season when I have difficulty taking care of myself? b) increasing isolation socially, and c) loss of the sense of usefulness.

It is only when one comes face-to-face with the fundamental question posed above that they become acutely aware of the dwindling lack of options before them. Our society has become so mobile that children and grandchildren are spread all over the nation, with some even living outside the US. Essentially, as a culture we are so dispersed that nobody lives close enough to be of any help to anyone else.

The other factors effecting this crisis include the deep divisions in our society initiated during the Obama Administration and accelerated during the Covid fiasco that drove a significant wedge between the generations, which has yet to completely heal. Then throw in the massive inflation created by the Biden Administration’s handling of the economy has crushed modest savings, which would have gone a long way 6 years ago are woefully insufficient today.

Another element effecting this situation is the continuing increase in the level of aged persons in our population; (19.2% of US population is 65 and over in 2026, 16.4% in 2020, 13.1% in 2010, 10%in 1970 and 8% in 1950. The forecast is 22.8% in 2050.) All of this is significantly augmented by the effects of 53 years of legal abortion taking 64 million babies out of the equation.

The Feminist agenda has created another unforeseen difficulty. The number of divorces of couples in their 60’s has skyrocketed in the last ten years to the point that it has driven the cumulative divorce rate above 51.4% for the first time in history. The majority of divorces are created by men citing sexless marriages combined with female control and manipulation.

No matter the source, the effect on older adults, particularly for those in their 70’s, presents a conundrum with very few palatable options. So what is to be done? Let me propose a couple of potential solutions.

First of all, lets tackle the family divisions, especially the political divide. Let’s look at Malachi 4:5-6,  “ 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (RSV)

These are the last words God released prior to 400 years of silence that spanned the time between the Old Testament and the New. As such anything God said would be considered important, yet here He releases a promise, the promise is that He will turn hearts to restore relationships such that His declaration noted in Exodus 20: 12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” would not be violated. Here’s another view of that passage that bears consideration, Matthew 17:10-11 “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? 11 And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things:” (See also Mark 9)

Two things that must be seen here are theses; a) Elijah is to return to earth before Jesus returns and his purpose will be to reestablish natural relationships generationally within nuclear families, which is the heart of the Father. And b) this is all to happen sometime “before the great and terrible day of the LORD” comes upon the earth – that’s Judgment Day. Today is one of those days.

My suggestion is this, as I have proved it personally, ask The Lord to release the Spirit of Elijah upon yourself (and your spouse) and upon your children, to turn the hearts of each toward the other. You will not be disappointed. However, don’t expect them to be the ideal child or parent that you would like to have, but do receive whatever level of love and respect that each is able to give.

Next, I am going to suggest that you look around and identify one or two senior adults whose lives you can impact. Take them out for a meal at a local restaurant or have them into your home once a month. Call them periodically to see how they are doing, or just drop by and chat for half an hour or so. Ask them to tell you about something they are proud of doing, or if there were one thing they’d like to change in their lives, what would that be? You might even ask them if they’ve answered to their satisfaction the answer to “Who is going to take care of me when I can no longer take care of myself.”

Just get to know them. You can’t fulfill a need if you don’t know it exists. Include them in your small group activities. You will find that you’ll also naturally be obeying Leviticus 19:32.