Be.Loved. 25 Simple Acts of Love to Change a LifeSample

DAY 23: Bring flowers to seniors at a local nursing home

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:32

Isaiah 46:4 says, “…even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” As followers of Christ, we want to be wherever God is. 

Where His presence is manifested clearly, we celebrate; where it is masked, we make it known. In this passage in Isaiah, we are shown that God is with those who are old. He has been with them their whole lives and carries them when they weaken.  

What a magnificent picture! Long lives preserved by God’s continual presence. He is among the elderly. He is in our nursing homes and our retirement villages and in our hospice care centers. He is sustaining those who have walked many years. This is where we too ought to long to be! With those who have much wisdom and maturity in the Lord. 

It is an unfortunate reality that too many people are forgotten as they age. They are left in the care of those they don’t know. But they are never forsaken by God. We have a great opportunity as followers of Christ to cry out, “Be loved!” to all those who have traveled many years. We join God in his presence by being tangible reminders of his love and care for the elderly. 

Today, visit a local nursing home or retirement community. Bring flowers “just because.” Tell a resident there that he or she is loved by God and that His presence is with him or her. Spend time with that person, loving on him or her and listening to his or her stories. You will be blessed.

Reflect on how this experience made you feel and what you learned about God’s faithfulness. Consider how you might integrate this practice of caring for the elderly into your regular pattern of life.