I recall Helen’s uncle Roi commenting during the last 10 to 15 years of his life, that old age does not come alone. As I continue my own pilgrimage into my senior years I often think of his comments as both Helen and I begin to experience the physical effects of aging. When you get to the point that you realize that there is much more of this life behind you than there is before you, you know it is past time to make the most spiritually of your last chapters. We have God’s promise that he will be there in our old age to take care of us.
“Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you.”
Isaiah 46:4
For me, the design of the last chapters has been a priority since I retired from active business life in 2014. Of course, the design itself is a work in progress and there are days when I wonder if I will ever get a real sense of how God wants to use me over the months and years that I may have ahead of me. I know one thing for certain and that is that I am being called into a more intimate relationship with my Creator. That realization alone fills me with great hope as I know that there is no difficulty in this life that God and I together cannot face.
None of us can complain that old age has caught us by surprise. All we need to do is to look around us, if our vision is still sufficient to take in our environment, and even if it isn’t, we attained our current age by walking the trail of life and so we have had ample warning. So where do we go from here? Do we carry on as if this life is never ending refusing, perhaps because of fear, to prepare for the next? Some do this thinking that if they fail to give it any attention perhaps it will go away. No, I think it is more prudent, even if you are not convinced that there is an afterlife, to hedge your bets.
For those of us who, through faith, have the hope of eternal life, designing our last chapters should focus firstly on our relationship with God and secondly on how that relationship moves us to reach out to others who do not have the hope that we have. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can orchestrate a final chapter that will testify to the great love that our Creator has given us from the time of our conception to the time of our passage into God’s arms.
God Gracious 
Chris, what you say is so true. I am going through that same process now, as you well know. On EWTN this morning Father Larry Richards stated that we need to listen which, as you point out, focuses our attention on God. I do wish that I had done this earlier in life.
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