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by Missy Buchanan (Author)
"Why am I still here? Why is God letting me suffer so long?"
Frailty, dependence, and constant pain can lead to spiritual hopelessness in older adults. While we're inspired by occasional news about an extraordinary centenarian who swims every day, it's more common to grieve and wonder as loved ones grow feeble.
With compassion and honesty, Buchanan gives voice to the those who have to depend on others for assistance with daily tasks. She leads caregivers and those in their care to see that living with purpose in old age is an extension of the challenges lived all along:
- learning to offer our will to God's
- trusting God's grace
- continuing to respond with the joy and fortitude of faith
Buchanan fosters empathy for the frail elderly and expresses their deepest concerns without tap-dancing around the tough issues. Forty-two short, comforting devotions offer spiritual encouragement to those who now cope with daily limitations and failing health.
The devotions are written in the first person, allowing readers to speak directly to God about their concerns. Supporting scriptures from the New Testament and Psalms are included with each meditation. Buchanan writes to the experiences of lifelong Christians as well as elderly non-believers who are thinking anew about God.
Help someone you love find a reason and way to live out God's purpose in spite of their limitations.
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OPTION 1 Frailty, dependence, and constant pain can lead to spiritual hopelessness in older adults. Missy Buchanan fosters empathy for the frail elderly and expresses their deepest concerns without tap-dancing around the tough issues. Forty-two short, comforting devotions offer much-needed spiritual encouragement. Supporting scriptures from the New Testament and Psalms are included with each meditation. Enlarged Print OPTION 2 "Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body" is an exploration of the inner life by many persons in nursing homes and retirement centers. With compassion and honesty, Buchanan gives voice to mingled feelings of loss, gratitude, resignation, courage, loneliness and love. Each meditation moves from a particular challenge of the worn-out body to the larger perspective and the faithful response. Well-chosen passages from the Psalms mirror the speaker's feelings, and exhortations from the New Testament stir hope. It becomes clear that "living with purpose" in old age is an extension of the challenges lived all along one's years -- learning to offer one's will to God's, trusting God's grace to open up seemingly closed situations, and continuing to respond with the joy and fortitude of faith. Buchanan lets readers know the difficult feelings of those living an assisted life; the ambivalence about being alive so long, the struggle against self-pity, the loneliness and isolation, the frustration of limited strength and movement. She also mines the joys of living: laughter among friends, seeing grandchildren grow up, sifting through happy memories. "Living with Purpose" is a comfort for those who are living out their last long years and a help for those who love and care for them.
