To help our residents get started, here are six tips for a more meaningful walk with God during retirement.
Walking club members heading out for their morning constitutional is a common sight at many of the assisted living communities under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella. The camaraderie helps many seniors keep up the healthy habit by making it more enjoyable. However, walking doesn't have to be limited to just getting physical exercise. Prayer walks are an excellent way to stretch spiritual muscles and bond as a body of believers.
During a prayer walk, individuals and groups pray for the people they pass, lifting them up in intercession. For residents in a senior living community, the walkers can stroll around the grounds and buildings and pray for staff and their neighbors.
In the same fashion as personal diaries, a prayer journal is simply a blank space to write or type prayers. Writing out prayers helps believers stay focused and connect with the words they're praying. It can help individuals remember all the items on a long list of requests and provide a record of answered prayers.
Remembering every prayer God has answered can be difficult, but it can be a wonderful testimony of his faithfulness to his children. By writing their prayers over time, seniors can create a powerful tool of encouragement that they can review in difficult times.
Psalms 119:105 says the Word of God is like a lamp lighting a believer's path. Seniors can use the Bible to learn more about God and find his will for their lives.
Switching up reading plans can renew interest in daily commitments and potentially help seniors see familiar passages in a new light. There are many reading plans that retirees can use to explore God's word beyond just simply reading it cover to cover.
Some plans arrange the Bible in chronological order, which can help make the history and context of each story easier to understand. Others focus on a single book, encouraging readers to meditate on a few verses at a time.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? James 2:14 NLT
According to the Bible, salvation is a gift from God that believers receive by faith. Salvation can't be earned through good works. However, these kind deeds are a sign of a heart overflowing with thankfulness for the gifts God has given. Good works, in the form of volunteering, are the perfect way for God's children to share with others the love and blessings they've been given.
Bethesda Senior Living Communities is dedicated to following Jesus in his mission to feed the hungry and minister to the brokenhearted and loves helping our residents do the same. Retirees can talk with staff members and chaplains in their senior living community about volunteer opportunities in their local area.
Worship is uniquely powerful in the way that it connects the hearts of the Lord and his followers. Besides joining or hosting worship services in their assisted living community, senior believers can use individual time to deepen their walk with God.
There are many ways to worship the Father, including:
Retirees can also use their newly acquired time to learn skills to help them worship, such as singing or playing an instrument. Seniors can also learn how to dance or use sign language to express worship songs in a physical act of praise.
Creating a dedicated prayer space can help believers focus on God. It can be a desk or a chair where they can comfortably sit for a while. It can be by a window or in a corner, so long as it's quiet and only used for this purpose.
The space should be well-lit to prevent eyestrain while reading. Plenty of storage for Bibles, study guides, music players and writing tools is also important. By keeping their things within reach and organized, seniors can reduce clutter and distractions during their quiet time with the Lord.
Residents in the senior living communities under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella can talk with their community chaplain about deepening their walk with God. They can also explore online faith-based websites and inspirational books in their local library to learn how others have found ways to connect with God.
