Posted by Michelle Chuah • Jun 06, 2022
First of all, I would like to thank God for His grace, mercies and protection upon my family everyday. He is truly an omnipresent God who hears when you call out to Him. Just recently amazing things have been happening in my life. I cannot thank Jesus enough for His presence whenever I pray.
As a person who has come under the category of a senior citizen has its blessings. A senior person has priorities as we are deemed a little more fragile. We are respected by others too. Let me share my present life as a senior citizen with you.
Being a mother to two adult children and also taking care of an elderly 92 year old mother in-law has many challenges. Yet, God is always present as I walk everyday with Him. As a mother, I literally continue to ‘mother’ my adult children by giving advice which many times are not welcomed as they live in the world of technology and modern work culture. Yet I continue to persevere to advise even though my advice is not well received at times.
Last weekend, I was away to help my younger son settle in his new job in Singapore. He had desired to work there in order to gain more experience and opportunities in his career. As parents, my husband and I were advising him of the pros and cons of working here in the comfort of the family versus going abroad to fend for himself as he is already having a good paying job here. However, he yearned to go abroad to gain experience in his field of work so I prayed for the Lord to lead him and provide him with suitable work. God indeed heard our prayers and so he was offered only one job despite a few interviews on Zoom. God is indeed specific when He opens the door.
Then the issue of finding suitable accommodation arose as this young man has allergies to dust and medication. As such, with the help of his friend we had video calls to view several rooms and they were not satisfactory when we viewed them. We got up early one morning as he went to carry out his medical test and decided to pray for a suitable place for him. Then his father googled and found an advert by an owner to let out a room in the same area, which is close to his friend and place of work. We were unable to view as we were scheduled to fly back and could only see through a video call. This turned out to be the one that was suitable for him, not only in terms of cleanliness, but also a Christian landlady who is motherly to her tenants. Glory to God for He knows best and provides in time when we trust in Him.
While we were in Singapore, I noticed that the seniors are not sitting down and wasting time, but are still on the move working. We met a Grab driver who is in his early 70’s doing part time and I realised that age is just a number and seniors are still capable of working, just like Senior Pastor Chris’ father in-law. Malaysians tend to be idle after retirement which is truly a waste of good talent and experiences, which can be passed on to the younger generation.
I still remember Hannah Yeoh, who came to speak at DUMC during the early days of Pakatan Harapan and she invited those who were 60 years old and above to stand up when she delivered her sermon. She mentioned that seniors are very valuable as they have experiences to share with the younger generation.
So, cheer up, Seniors! There is still a lot to do in life especially for His kingdom to help nurture, disciple, and mentor the younger generation in Christlikeness so that the Word can be strengthened and enriched in the lives of the younger generations and shared in every neighborhood.
To the younger generation who are so much ahead with technology, remember that your parents and grandparents have a treasury of experience and knowledge which will be of good use to you, if you make time and effort to seek their advice and gain knowledge about life. Just their prayers alone is a blessing to you.