Hour staff are nearby and the easing of burdens that comes when you no longer have to care for and maintain your home.
But we also know that assisted living lives are not small lives. Within their apartments and throughout the community, seniors can still live vibrant, active lives that encompass the entire human condition. And that means experiencing all of the normal human emotions.
As a faith-based organization, we also believe that the Bible is there for us during all those times. Whether we’re happy or sad, Scripture provides wisdom and comfort, and that’s true no matter where you live.
Here are seven Scripture passages that seniors can turn to and contemplate as they experience all life has to offer.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
This is a straightforward and easy-to-remember verse. It’s also a good choice for embroidery or other Scripture art projects. It reminds us to thank God and rejoice in what he has done for us.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
God loves to see you filled with joy. So, don’t be afraid to share that joy with him. Sing it in song, praise him out loud or in your heart or share your joy with someone else. Tell your assisted living community neighbor or the people in your weekly prayer group.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Remember your times of joy and the blessings that God brought you. Save them up in your heart as Mary saved up what she saw and heard when Jesus was born. Because those saved joys and the knowledge that God has more for you to come can help you get through times of sorrow. As the psalmist says, when you know that God loves you and what great things he’s capable of, you know that joy comes in the morning.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Seniors of faith know that this one takes practice, but the truth is that everything in this world is changing. Things don’t last, but God does. Whether you’re facing a move to an assisted living community, a health scare or just little anxieties of life, remind yourself that you belong to God and he lights your way.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you
It’s easy to get wrapped up in what we need to do to seek God, especially for those who have recently found their faith. But the Bible makes it clear: There’s not a secret map or a quest that deems us worthy. God is there, all the time, waiting for us to knock.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
For seniors of faith, worries are often not about themselves. You might be worried about a friend in the assisted living community, members of your own family or the state of the world in general. In uncertain times, it’s easy to let worries overtake us, but remembering that God is ever-present and strong can help alleviate these worries. Try speaking to like-minded friends of faith or visiting the Bethesda Gardens chaplain to talk about your worries and seek reminders that God is with you.
When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In Psalm 142, the psalmist faces hidden enemies and feels as if he’s been abandoned. No one cares for him, he says. He has no refuge. Except he knows that God is his refuge and is watching over him. And that is true for believers today no matter where they are in life or in their faith journey
