MRS. S. N. HASKELL by Mrs. S. N. Haskell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 7, 1907

MRS. S. N. HASKELL

By Mrs. S. N. Haskell

How to Enjoy Old Age—No. 2

MRS. S. N. HASKELL

There is one thing more valuable in old age than good health, and that is a clear, active mind. All the world admires such a man as Gladstone, who in his eightieth year could serve as prime minister of England. Why not admire the course he pursued to preserve his mind?

The Bible says of man: “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Prov. 23:7. The person who begins to think of himself as being old as soon as he passes the prime of life, and, when any work that would tax the mind is proposed, replies, “O, I am too old for that!” will be just as he thinks. He will be old long before he ought to be.

The majority of people become mental drones after they pass the prime of life. Many have heavy family cares for ten or fifteen years after they reach manhood and womanhood, and, while pressed with household or business cares, they do not have as much time for study and general reading as they had in their younger days, and they cease to use their minds except in the immediate line of their own work.

As he passes the prime of life, the man finds he has acquired sufficient to live upon, and does not need to work so hard. The busy mother finds the home empty, the children married and gone. Now is the time to prepare for old age. When they find their minds are less active, and they are liable to forget, then is the time to exercise their minds.

I remember a well-preserved old lady, who, when she found that she was becoming forgetful, began committing portions of Scripture to memory—not simply scattered verses, but whole chapters, and not only was she brought nearer God by this study, but her mind was strengthened by keeping the connection of the verses in the chapter.

Gladstone could never have been prime minister of England at eighty years of age if he had settled down in the idea that he was an old man at forty or fifty. He made a business of preserving his mental and physical powers in the best possible condition.

If we want a clear, active mind in old age, we must not let our minds lie dormant most of the time after we pass the prime of life. It is our Christian duty to preserve our minds and bodies in the best possible condition that we may honor God and do the work he would have us do.

Hundreds of people waste the best portion of their lives. After a person has lived fifty or more years, his experience is valuable, and he should cultivate his mind and keep it active, in order that he may make the best use of the experience he has gained. Old age is a treasure, and years of experience are invaluable when there is an active, clear mind with which to use the experience gained.

We can not prevent growing old; but we can grow old gracefully, and by the help of the Lord preserve our minds in as good a condition as possible as long as God gives life.

The one who considers himself old and comparatively worthless at fifty will be so; for the Lord says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he;” but, on the other hand, the person who thinks it his God-ordained duty to work faithfully and well as long as God gives life will find his richest experiences and most effective work after he passes the prime of life.

Hundreds of our sisters who have loved the truth for years and have comparatively few household cares are spending their time working for their married children and grandchildren. They think they are too old to do any active work for God; but if they would arouse themselves, study their Bibles, and go out and work for souls, they would find that the Lord would use them to win many precious souls from the powers of darkness.

Anna, at the age of eighty-four, was not too old to go about the city carrying the Lord’s message. Luke 2:36-38. Daniel, when nearly ninety years of age, was appointed prime minister of the Persian kingdom. Moses was eighty years of age when sent to lead Israel out of Egypt.

If every one believed that God had a purpose, and a work for each individual as long as he lived, no one would drop his oars and drift with the tide, thinking his work was done.

When our work is done, the Lord will make the fact known by laying us to rest. While some may be more active than others, all may accomplish much if they believe there is work for them to do, and seek God for wisdom to do the work he places in their pathway.

Oakland, Cal.