THE PERILS OF AGING #117

Remember when we were kids and everyone over forty seemed ancient?  Well, here we are as Senior Citizens and we are starting to feel the effects of our age.  Our bodies are suddenly experiencing new aches and pains.  Our minds are slowing down and our memories are growing foggy.  Aging is not for the faint of heart.

How do we overcome the physical and emotional effects of aging so that we can Finish Strong?  Brian, Terry and Dan have a lot of practical ideas and Biblical advice in this podcast. And always remember, “aging happens to the best of us!”

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

Well as we age, we get aches and pains we've never had before. And that can lead to emotional problems, which can lead to depression, which lead to fear and anxiety and all kinds of problems. You know, obviously, guys, aging is not for the faint of heart.

Terry Steen: 0:23

Brian's more the expert than we are on. Well see,

Dan Wheeler: 0:27

this is finished strong. I'm joined by Brian Roland, Terry Steen. I'm Dan Wheeler. And yeah, guys, you know, we knew each other when we were young, we were middle age. And now as we're trying to finish strong at this age, there are some perils to aging and we're going to talk about all of them.

Brian Roland: 0:45

Upper middle aged No,

Dan Wheeler: 0:47

upper middle age, or pre elderly.

Terry Steen: 0:52

Well, even for me, it's like two years ago, I just felt like, I'll be the same till I'm 80. But in this last year, it's changing. You know,

Dan Wheeler: 1:03

it's funny, that's the same age that hit me because I'm a year older than you. I feel like I'm just a year out of you with all these aches, say

Brian Roland: 1:11

once that when you get to your 70s That's the last 10 years of your youth. So that's what I'm doing right now.

Terry Steen: 1:15

There you go change.

Dan Wheeler: 1:17

I like that. Yeah, well, you look good for a guy in the seven. We're gonna talk about how we can overcome these things with the Word of God. But let's start with the decline of physical strength and energy. Guys, for us. I know it's really hard. And because, you know, we all wanted to be never, never, never never land, the Land of the Lost Boys. We didn't want to grow up.

Terry Steen: 1:42

But it happens. Definitely. Exactly. And as much as we love sports that doesn't go away. We love being competitive. You know, I'm in the middle of playing pickleball trying to play pickleball. But as you're playing it, it magnifies the weaknesses of your body. And over the last two or three months, I've injured a shoulder of injured of back, I pulled the hamstring, my left knees bugging me. So it's not like I can't play but you're playing in pain. And that leads to like you say other things, doesn't it? Yeah.

Brian Roland: 2:18

Go to the gym, though, too. If you don't, if you leave, knock off a couple days, you go back and it's like, oh my gosh, like you're starting all over again. Nothing stays.

Dan Wheeler: 2:27

Yeah. And Brian, you and I have had some heart issues with you know, I blood pressure. I just had a procedure. I've been recuperating. Now I might have to have another one. But it gets hard. And then that can lead to some mental challenges keeping a positive mental attitude.

Terry Steen: 2:46

Well, that on top of just the mental decline on the miscues, here's a quick story. Last Saturday, I was told that Karen and I had a meeting to go to for seniors for our church. So we get up Saturday morning, we otherwise would have had a free day. 10 o'clock meeting, we clean up get all dressed drive 45 minutes to the location I pull in. And there's no cars in the world, so I pull up the information on the meeting and it's two weeks away. I missed it by two weeks. So what do I do because I messed up my wife Saturday, I took her shopping and she shot for four hours.

Brian Roland: 3:36

That's how you get out of it right there.

Dan Wheeler: 3:40

You know, it does happen and you know, you walk into a room you forget why you're there. A Pam and I are always trying to finish each other's sentences or help each other. But you know, we can we have to try and eat right? And that can help both of these things. No fruits and vegetables, less salt, less fried foods. We can do crossword puzzles, work on our memorization. And, and we'll talk more about that. But and then that mental can lead to emotional problems.

Brian Roland: 4:15

No, it can't because it gets you know, it gets you down. When you when all sudden you're not doing what you used to do or used to be able to do. And it's it can get you depressed and you start thinking if you start feeling sorry for yourself to begin with. I don't want to feel sorry for myself but then also getting angry. You know, you go through those stages of things just aren't the same. And you trying to make them the same. And especially, you know, then you've been an athlete. And now like you're out you're telling me about on you're on the treadmill, you're breaking these records that other treadmill got where there's no records during the break. I mean, it's you're breaking them there. They don't want you to break any records, but you know, it's the Seattleite in you coming out, you know, trying

Dan Wheeler: 4:55

to push myself but then I get depressed because you know, my knee starts hurting and yeah Things like that. But boy, mentally and emotionally. It really I've been frustrated. I feel like the last two years, I've just had this level of frustration, and there's a lot you can do about it. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 5:13

yeah. Yeah.

Brian Roland: 5:15

Oh, good friend of mine that had had cancer, and they thought he had it licked. And next thing he knows he's got kind of got a call back. And he's completely loaded, you know, with cancer again. He was just what, that just took the wind out of his sails. And it's like, how do you how do you how do you cope with it? How do you deal with it? And and then how do you as a as a Christian, how do you support him? You know, and it was scripture, Word and prayer. It was just it was a it was a tough time. But you know, that's just it's, it's, it works on your mind. It works on your on your, on your muxing.

Terry Steen: 5:49

Sometimes you think you are doing it all on your own. And there's a sense of loneliness or isolation that can come in, we have wives, we may not feel that the same as some of our listeners. But loneliness is a real issue. It's a real emotional reaction to this aging process, isn't it? Yeah,

Dan Wheeler: 6:11

sure. Yeah. Your kids and grandkids like they don't live near me anymore. I miss them. I'm trying to stay in touch with my 14 year old grandson, and he's now a teenager and busy and he's become a man of few words. It's hard to get him.

Terry Steen: 6:25

I'm facing that too with my grandkids. Yeah. She's not a woman of few words, I know better than

Brian Roland: 6:36

I become a man of few words.

Dan Wheeler: 6:40

We know your wife Brian. But, you know, I used to see a lot of older people that were always very fearful and worrisome and, and that fear can creep in and anxiety and worry and, and then the depression, because you can't do what you used to anymore. And, and I don't know about you guys, but everywhere I go, I feel like everybody's younger. Now. I see all this youth. These young guys working out the gym and you're like, Man, I want

Brian Roland: 7:12

this in the room. You know, okay, wait.

Terry Steen: 7:15

Yeah, well, it sounds depressing. But we don't have to live and stay that way. Do we? We do have some recourse. And that's what we want to talk about today. Because there's some answers that God gives us as long as we're Christians. As long as we have that attitude of finishing strong, there's ways to go about it and help aren't there. They

Dan Wheeler: 7:37

really are. And there's a lot of promises and God's word. And I think about Psalm 23. You know, I recite that quite often. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want He maketh me to lay down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul. And those six verses are so comforting. And you can it can put you in the right state mentally. And God does promises word never to leave us or nor forsake us. You

Brian Roland: 8:10

know, there's actually 8810 promises in the Bible.

Dan Wheeler: 8:14

Is that right? You counted every one of them. That

Brian Roland: 8:18

was an inherent 10. And I'm going to, I'm going to list them right now. But just a couple of you know, God promises to strengthen you. He promises to give you rest, He promises to take care of all your needs. He promises to answer your prayers to work everything out for your good. He promises to be with you. It comes to to protect you. I mean, you should just some of them. But this is promises of God that we can count on. And we can say God, you promised this, I need this now and he's gonna help us with that. He's going to be there for us.

Terry Steen: 8:45

Yeah, when you think about the physical side of it, you know, Isaiah 4029, talks about he gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. And I think back to Caleb, member, Caleb was one of the spies. He went in and fought, and then it was time for him to take his land. And he was like, 85 at the time. And he was he was telling Joshua says, Hey, I'm just as strong as I was when I was 40. You know, God has a way of allowing us to have the strength we need for specific situations and the win the victories in each day in life. And I think we have to just keep relying on those promises that He will give us the strength we need.

Dan Wheeler: 9:31

Yeah, I love the promise and Isaiah 46 Four that says, I am he who will sustain you even to your old age and gray hairs. I like it. And so he can you know, I think so many times we we we start to forget that we should have fearless faith to finish strong God will take us through these situations. You know, in on our theme of finish strong Psalm nine b to 12 through 14 really is kind of a theme for us. It says the righteous will still bear fruit in their old age so we can still reach out to people and see people come to the Lord.

Terry Steen: 10:12

Yeah. And even when the mental decline, we know that's a process just like our physical bodies, those cells are dying off, unfortunately. And we do know Romans 12 two tells us not to be conformed to this world be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and God will continually renew our mind, transform it to be effective still, in our days, absolutely.

Dan Wheeler: 10:43

Absolutely. So many promises, as Brian said, 1800, I think of Philippians 419. And my God will supply all your needs, man, mental, physical, emotional, according to his riches in Christ Jesus, if you think about it, and Christ went through a lot of these things, he may, you know, he only lived to be 33. But when he was carrying the cross, and his physical strength was failing him, and they were beating him and beating him and just, you know, 39 times and striking him in the face, he knew what it was like to be exhausted, and tired. And, you know, and, and throughout his ministry, of course, even when he would have to get away, spend time with the Lord. That's why prayer is so important. We've got to be renewed by spending time in prayer.

Terry Steen: 11:41

When we hear that he's going to meet our needs, then that should remove the worry factor there is just something when you get old you tend to worry more be a little more fearful maybe it's because of everything we know that could go wrong. But we can stand on Second Timothy one seven that God didn't give us the spirit of fear. Amen. Yeah. Hauer and love and a sound mind. That's all part of the process that sound mine. Yeah, look

Brian Roland: 12:09

at Joshua one nine, tells us be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you where ever you go. The love

Dan Wheeler: 12:19

that. Yeah. And you know, along with it, there's some things we can do to try to slow down some of that mental decline we can do I find myself doing crossword puzzles and reading at night and trying to memorize scripture, what better thing to memorize and to put into our minds that can all help with that. And I always you know, our we call our ministry, fearless faith. And you know, we're all getting at that age where we saw our parents fearful. It seems like they were fearful of everything and you know, and then but you do you have grandkids, you worry about them. But it's just you know, all a process all our life, giving it to Jesus, giving them to the Lord, trusting praying that he keeps his angels around them. And then that tends to calm your fear and your worry, you know, Philippians four, six says, Be anxious for nothing, nothing, but in everything by prayer, supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, guys, I'm trying to pray more and more getting up early, praying, praying throughout the day, trying to realize when I even go an hour without praying and keep that conversation going. That helps us as we age for sure.

Brian Roland: 13:41

Then I got something here that I thought of saying that I found and I want to share with you guys just says fight your battles through prayer and win your battles through faith in God. And I saw that, that is a great I need to post that that is put that up. It is finding

Dan Wheeler: 13:58

your battles through prayer and when your battles through faith.

Brian Roland: 14:04

Like that, ya

Terry Steen: 14:05

know, we fight the end of talked about the depression factor and God knows the weariness. He knows the burdens. He talks about it in Matthew 1128 through 30 said, talking about us being weary and burdened and what did he say? He said, Take my yoke upon you. You can slip your head right in next to mine in that yoke. And together, we'll take that burden. We'll take that weariness, we'll take that depression. And I'll be right there to walk you through it. And sometimes those are the times we need to stop. We talked about prayer, talk about reading His word. And those are those kinds of promises that can lift us out of a depression, knowing that God is right beside us trying to give us all that power and strength and many times we refuse to take it.

Dan Wheeler: 15:02

But I remember when I was going through my deepest depression, I just kept reciting Isaiah 4110, over and over. Fear thou not, for I'm with the Be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will strengthen the I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. And that's a verse to hang on to for life, that's a great one. Because it's easy to come over come with fear, especially with the news and what we're seeing. And but we know, you know, we just did a podcast last week or last podcast with John Hope. And he's talking about the Lord's coming back. And they don't realize, I think also fighting depression, it because you know, I've gotten depressed, and it's not a sin, by the way to be depressed, but you have to know where to turn in. And I turn, we turn to God, but we also need friends. And I think this is a critical piece of getting older, staying in touch with your friends, the three of us, we can all relate to the things we go through, you know, the aches, the pains, the heart problems, the blood pressure, all of it, we know what it's like, and we know, you know, the loneliness, there's a bit of separation happens, but man, keep your close friends close and, and keep good Christian friends, you guys have picked me up when I've been down. And I hope I do that for you once in a while.

Terry Steen: 16:30

And a lot of times, it's that emotion, that will tend to allow ourselves to isolate ourselves. There may be people out there that we know we can reach out to but we just choose not to do it. And that's one thing that I think is so important is that we have to be proactive, we have to potentially be the one that reaches out to other family or friends and remove ourselves from that isolation, because it's easy to do. If you let yourself go down that slippery, emotional slope exists.

Brian Roland: 17:07

That's good. That's good. And I like what you just said that it reminds me of just meeting people and sharing about fearless faith. But as we were talking about with our morning devotional on sharing that with them, then you know, and because a lot of people just they don't have anything. And I know how many people just need to have a page and a half in the morning just to get going, you know, just something to get up start their day. Yeah, and it's just so important, when

Dan Wheeler: 17:39

we've been blessed to be able to do that for a lot of our followers. And they tell us all the time, how much they appreciate it. But you know, we've got to keep our eyes on Christ to we, we talked about processes and God's word and prayer and maintaining connection with other believers. But boy, nothing's more important than keeping your eyes on Jesus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, not on the world, not on the news, not on things that can overwhelm us. Hebrews 12 Two says, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and the perfecter of our faith, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 18:20

I was just gonna say and another byproduct there is we let all those emotions get to us and then the loneliness, then we start feeling sorry for ourselves begin the pity party, we focus all of our attention on our own our own problems, instead of turning them outward to others, don't we, in such a scriptural peace, and if we would think about others instead of ourself, if we would look for ways we can help others instead of ourself, if we'll look for ways that we can serve others, that automatically a byproduct of that just lifts us up mentally and emotionally, to where we do realize we're doing God's will and we can have the peace that passes all understanding, we can have the joy of our salvation, because it all works together.

Brian Roland: 19:20

No, I was just gonna say that, on focusing our thoughts on Christ, there's a couple different points I put down was the set alone time with him each day, and to worship music. I mean, and so many times I just have some music that I'll play or something singing in my head. And it just leads me to prayer times it's time to seek them because it just just draws me in. post it notes. I leave myself little notes every now and then. In scriptures. People add scriptures to their phone. So they always have that the look to just talking to Jesus. Taking your time each day just to do that. And you and look at the one was at, at scripture verses to your chalkboard net and Deb put that up before she drew that picture of a hand and says, let God handle you know, she's played once. And we have that in the house and it's always there. And I think the big thing is when you're feeling down in your feeling that there's nobody that as the waters got anything Oh, he got Where are you go outside. Then you said a couple of weeks ago outside, look around. Just take it in. I mean, it would not be here. If God didn't didn't say it that and put it into words and indeed created it with his word. And then you look at the beauty and everything and how it's everything. I know that we're always looking at little bugs, and birds and stuff. I never go thank God most had a kick out of making some of these things, you know? Cute. These things are funny they are and are like the sloth. I will swap you know, who am I so slow motion. And you have the qualifier that she's such a little cutie. Because God made these things that he's like, yeah, there is a God. And he's right there. Look what he can do that he's going to take care of me in the situation that I'm in. That's

Dan Wheeler: 21:10

really good, Brian, and I'm glad you said music. Pamela, we're putting together a jigsaw puzzle the other day. Yes, we're officially old, with a snowstorms, which you guys haven't had. Notice. But we just put on hymns for worship on Pandora and we just singing along and praising the Lord. And it just does it lifts your spirits. It really does and going outside. I like that. That's good practical advice. Yeah.

Terry Steen: 21:39

And just the idea of you spending time with your wife and doing a jigsaw puzzle. I mean, God told us that he knew that man was not meant to be alone. He said, It wasn't good for man to be alone back in Genesis, the second chapter, that's why it made woman so we have to maintain those connections with other believers. You know, we build each other up, you have three of us get to talk at least every week. And we can encourage each other and listen to what's going on. And everybody needs that. So they you know, we all need to be connected to a church or to a group of believers, that we can have those kinds of relationships. That's so critical. I think the three of

Brian Roland: 22:23

us are verse with the Proverbs 2717. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another very much the three of us every week.

Dan Wheeler: 22:33

Yeah, yeah. I love our weekly calls. And we're spending time in prayer and praying for the ministry. And, you know, as we get near the end of this discussion, though, it's easy to get absorbed with all of your own problems. We've all kind of referred to that, that that happens a lot. And you get so self centered. But reaching out to others, so important, keeping your eyes on Jesus so important, and make the things of God the center of our thinking. Second Corinthians 12 Nine says, My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in your weakness. So when you feel weak, remember that his power can still work through you. And that is why for Christ's sake I delight delight and weaknesses. This is Paul. I delight in weaknesses in insults and hardships and persecutions in difficulties for when I am weak, then I am strong through Christ. You know, guys, I was listening to Bill Robertson and Glenn Beck I found this podcast last time Pam and I were watching it on TV. I've never really listen to this guy. He is amazing. I mean, you think he's this Duck Dynasty guy out in the woods and he speaks like he's from the south and I'll turn but the depth and he was just going through the Bible and he's still got this amazement and wonder he was talking he calls Glenn Beck Beck says back you know this this I'm planning to Mars tilted to that 22 degree angle that's just right. We need that for love you look over here to the left. There's Mars there freezin Venus there Burnham. No, we need that we're just perfect and you know, in God is so good. And he said and I choose because because Beck was talking about what's going on in the world and as you get depressed, I just choose to keep moving forward for Jesus. And I thought man that's that's our theme. Finish strong that's in for for Jesus.

Brian Roland: 24:37

at Proverbs three, five, the six on that, you know, trusting the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding and all thy ways acknowledge Him. He will direct your past trust in him. Because he put that at 22 degrees. Nobody else did that. Yep,

Dan Wheeler: 24:52

yeah. And you think about even the problems I've been having my heart learning and how the heart works. I said the girl at the hospital I said, and people think that this just happened from some poor museum or slime. I don't think so. Advanced. Brian, would you mind closing us with prayer? There's a lot of people out there struggling with the perils of aging. It's not easy. It's not easy. You know you. Sometimes I think it's backwards, you know, we start out we're young, our bodies are so strong, but we don't have any wisdom. We don't have life experience. When we finally get it, our body step is falling apart. But But would you pray for those who are really just struggling with all of the things we've been talking about? Sure. Well,

Brian Roland: 25:42

Heavenly Father, we come before in the name of Jesus, we, we love you, Lord, we just asked you for everyone that's going through any kind of crisis right now that might have to be with mental decline. It may have to be with fear of depression and worry, might be anger, loneliness. People go through all these different motions. Lordan. And like Dan said, it's not a sin, to have these emotions. But Lord, we need to know where to go to. And so right now Father, we, we take the material I take these people to you with people that are suffering from those that are watching us right now. They're saying, Yeah, I'm included in that. Thor, we're taking them to the throne of God right now and saying, Father, touch these people, yes, to come down now, right, Lord and just touch them, let them feel your presence. And Lord, open up the doors for them so that they can overcome the fear and the weariness and the depression, and the loneliness that they may have. Lord, be the father to them, that you said that you are to us, be their father, for them for the single woman out there that will be the better husband, father, for the for the kids that have lost their parents, and or maybe they're orphans for the first time. I know, when I lost my parents. I said, I'm gonna be with them. Father, be the father that they need right now. But I pray, Lord, that your hand would just be upon them that you would just touch them and meet every one of their needs. That is watching and listening to this right now, Father, be that guy that you told us that you are be the father that you said that you are that you would never leave us or forsake us. We know that we trust in you and depend on you and stand on your word. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Dan Wheeler: 27:26

Amen. Amen. Well if you're lonely join our community of believers at Fearless Faith Ministries on Facebook at Fearless faith, our logo is three flames. Join us on Youtube we have videos categorized in all kinds of areas and some of the areas we have our loneliness and depression. And just be a part of our podcasts. We have a website at F faith.org. Gary and I we iron sharpens iron and three friends they call us the Three Amigos but we're so blessed to to have these friendships that have lasted 50 years. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 28:03

right. Yeah, that was great stuff today on how we can finish strong by exercising by reading by being active those are all practical and then by praying, reading God's word and trust in him believing him on the spiritual side. Hey, we can finish strong no matter what our body's trying to tell us can't wait. That's

Brian Roland: 28:25

right. And

Dan Wheeler: 28:27

his Hulk Hogan said take your vitamins. It's finished and strong. I don't know if you saw a few weeks ago. He got baptized and really

Terry Steen: 28:40

that's cool.

Dan Wheeler: 28:45

I think the Lord for you guys and for those of you listening join us. We love you all. Pray for you and join us for the next episode of finish strong.

John Matarazzo: 28:57

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith. Check out their website F faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong