Continue to Be Happy in Your Old Age

1-2. How Jehovah see older people who serving him? (Psalm 92:​12-14; also see the picture.)

IN SOME part of the world, people think da when they getting old, people will respect them. But in some area, people not like to get old. They can do different-different thing dem just to be looking young. For example, when they see one gray hair, they can root it out. This one just show da plenty people not want get old.

² But our heavenly Father can see older people who serving him different way. (Prov. 16:31) He say they looking just like beautiful trees. (Read Psalm 92:​12-14.) What da one mean? Most of the time, old tree can really be beautiful because it can get plenty leaf or flower on it. For example, they get one tree in Japan da can live for plenty years. This tree can live for more than one thousand years and it can really be beautiful. Da the same way older people who trying their best to serve Jehovah really important. He value their fine-fine quality dem. He can see da they na serve him and stay faithful to him for plenty years in good time and bad time.

3. Give example about how Jehovah na use older people to do important work for him.

³ When we getting old, we can still be important to Jehovah.a In fact, most of the time Jehovah can use older people to do important work for him. For example, Sarah wor very old when Jehovah tell her da she will born boy child. And da one big nation wor going to come through da child. And the Messiah wor going to come from his family line. (Gen. 17:​15-19) Moses wor also old the time Jehovah send him to go free the Israelite dem from Egypt. (Ex. 7:​6, 7) And the apostle John wor really old when Jehovah use him to write five books in the Bible.

4. According to Proverbs 15:​15, wetin can help old people to be happy even though they going through different-different problem? (Also see the picture.)

⁴ When people getting old, most of the time they can’t be alright in their body and this one can make life hard for them. Da why some people can say, “Old age da problem by itself.” But Jehovah can help you to be happy even though you going through different-different problem. (Read Proverbs 15:15.) In this article, we will learn what old people can do so they can continue to be happy. We will also learn how other people can help the old-old people in the congregation. But first, let see why it can be hard for us to continue to be happy when we getting old.

HOW OLD AGE CAN MAKE YOU TO NOT BE HAPPY?

5. Sometime wetin can make some old people to be discourage?

⁵ Sometime, wetin can make you to be discourage? Maybe da because you not able to do the thing dem you use to do before. You just want be young again and be alright in your body. (Eccl. 7:10) For example one sister name Ruby say: “To even put my clothes on me seh, can’t be easy because my body can be painful and I not able to move by myself. Simple thing dem like to wear socks can be hard for me. My whole hand can be numb and painful. So it can be hard for me to do small-small thing dem.” And one brother name Harold who wor serving in Bethel say: “Sometime I can get vex with myself because I not able to do the thing dem I use to do before. The time I wor young, I really use to be strong. I use to enjoy playing sports. My friend dem use to say, ‘Pass the ball to Harold because he can’t miss.’ But now-now, I not think I even able to throw football.”

6. (a) What else can make some old people to be discourage? (b) Wetin can help old people to know whether they mon stop driving? (See the article “I Mon Stop Driving?” in this watchtower)

⁶ Sometime you can be discourage because you not able to do some thing dem da you use to do by yourself. This one can happen if you need somebody to take care of you or you need to live with one of your children. Maybe you can’t drive or move from place to place by yourself again because you not alright in your body or you can’t see good. All this one can really make you to feel bad! But remember da Jehovah and other people really value you. And we sure da Jehovah understand the thing dem you going through. Jehovah know da you really love him and our brother and sister dem. And da one da the most important thing to him.—1 Sam. 16:7.

7. Wetin can help you if you not happy because you thinking da you will not be living when Armageddon come?

⁷ Maybe you not happy because you thinking da you will not be living when Armageddon come. If da how you thinking, wetin can help you? Try to remember da Jehovah not destroy this world yet because he get reason for it. (Isa. 30:18) What the reason? Jehovah waiting because he want plenty people to get the opportunity to learn about him and serve him. (2 Pet. 3:9) So anytime you feeling discourage, think about the amount of people da will learn about Jehovah and be save before he destroy this world. Maybe some of your family member will be among them.

8. When old people sick, wetin it can make them to do sometime?

⁸ Whether we young or old, when we sick, sometime we can say or do thing dem da we can regret. (Eccl. 7:7; Jas. 3:2) For example, the time Job wor sick, he say some thing dem da wor not correct. (Job 6:​1-3) Beside da one, when old people sick or when they take certain medicine, it can make them to say or do thing dem they can’t normally say or do. But even if we old or sick, it will not be good for us to say bad things to other people or always expect them to do things for us. So if we know da we say something da make somebody vex, we mon tell the person sorry quick-quick.—Matt. 5:​23, 24.

HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BE HAPPY?

9. Why you mon allow other people to help you? (Also see the pictures.)

⁹ Allow other people to help you. (Gal. 6:2) Maybe it will be hard for you from the beginning. One sister name Gretl say: “Sometime, it can be hard for me to ask other people to help me because I can feel da I will be giving them hard time. It stay long for me to change my thinking and bring myself down to allow other people to help me.” But remember da when you allow other people to help you, it can make them happy. (Acts 20:35) And you will be happy to know da other people really love you and they want take care of you.

10. Why you mon remember to say thank you? (Also see the pictures.)

¹⁰ Show da you grateful. (Col. 3:15; 1 Thess. 5:18) When other people do good thing for us, we can be grateful but sometime we can forget to show it. But when we smile and tell them thank you, they will know da we really value the thing they na do for us. One sister name Leah, who can take care of old people in Bethel say: “One of the sister I can take care of can always write short letter to tell me thank you. This letter dem can’t be long, but it can make me happy. I can really enjoy reading them. And I happy to know da she grateful for the way I can help her.”

11. How you can help other people? (Also see the pictures.)

¹¹ Try to help other people. When you think about other people and try to help them, you will not be thinking too much about your problem. We can compare old people to book da can teach good-good lesson. But if people not read this book dem, they will not learn from it. Da the same way young people will not learn important lesson from you the older person if you not talk with them and tell dem some of the thing dem you know. Ask them question about theirself and listen good-good when they talking. Tell dem how Jehovah na help you and how when they obey him they will be happy. When you comfort and encourage young people, you yourself will be happy.—Ps. 71:18.

12. According to Isaiah 46:​4, wetin Jehovah na promise to do for old people? (Also see the pictures.)

¹² Pray to Jehovah to give you strength. Sometime, you will be feeling tire or weak. And like da you can be discourage. But remember da Jehovah really powerful. The Bible say Jehovah “never tires out or grows weary.” (Isa. 40:28) So he able to give you all the strength you need. (Isa. 40:​29-31) In fact, Jehovah na promise to help you. (Read Isaiah 46:4.) And Jehovah can always do anything he promise. (Josh. 23:14; Isa. 55:​10, 11) So when you pray, Jehovah will give you what you need. And when you see the way he helping you and the way he showing you love, you will really be happy.

13. According to 2 Corinthians 4:​16-18, wetin we mon remember? (Also see the pictures.)

¹³ Remember da your situation just for short time. It can be easy for us to bear any problem if we remember da it just for short time. And the Bible promise da old age and sickness will soon end. (Job 33:25; Isa. 33:24) So you can be happy because you know da in the future you will be alright in the body. And you will also be strong and beautiful more than ever before. (Read 2 Corinthians 4:​16-18.) But how other people can help you?

HOW OTHER PEOPLE CAN HELP?

14. Why we mon always visit and call our older brother and sister dem?

¹⁴ Always visit and call our older brother and sister dem. (Heb. 13:16) Old people can be sad because they can always be by theirself. One brother name Camille who in this situation say: “Sometime, I can be worry and vex because I not able to move from the house on my own and I not get nothing much to do.” When we visit our older brother and sister dem, they can know da we love and value them. Maybe you na make plan before to visit or call one older brother or sister in your congregation but you forget. This one can happen to all of us because we busy. So, wetin can help us to do the “more important things,” like visiting our older brother and sister dem? (Phil. 1:10) Maybe you can write their name dem down and choose one day to send them message or call them. You can also make schedule to visit them. It will help you to not forget.

15. Wetin young people and old people can do together?

¹⁵ If you young person, maybe you can worry about what you will say or do when you go visit older person. But don’t worry. Just be friendly with them. (Prov. 17:17) Take some time before or after the meeting to talk with the old-old people dem. Ask them to tell you the Bible verse they like or some kindna funny thing they do the time they wor small. You can ask them for yor to watch the JW Broadcasting^® together. Maybe you can help them to do some work da they not able to do by theirself. For example, you can make sure their phone or tablet working good and download any new publication for them. One sister name Carol say: “You and the old-old people can do some thing dem together da you can enjoy doing. Even though I getting old, I still want enjoy life. I like buying, eating with my friend dem, and going to fine-fine area dem.” And one sister name Maira say: “One of my friend da 90 years old. She older than me 57 years. But I can’t even think about da one. Because we can watch show together and do funny-funny thing dem da can make us laugh. And when we get problem, we can ask each other for advice.”

16. Why it good to go with older people when they going to the hospital?

¹⁶ When they get appointment with the doctor, try to go with them. Beside carrying them to the hospital, you can stay with them there and make sure da the doctor or nurse treating them good. (Isa. 1:17) You can even help dem to write some thing dem the doctor will say. One older sister name Ruth say: “Most of the time when my one go to the hospital, the doctor dem can’t want listen to me. Sometime they can tell me say, ‘You not sick. You just pretending.’ But when somebody go with me, the doctor dem can really pay attention to me. I want tell my brother and sister dem thank you for taking their time to go with me to the hospital.”

17. What some way dem you can preach with older people?

¹⁷ Find time to go field service together. Some older people not get the strength to do house to house again. So maybe you can tell one older sister to join you to do cart witnessing. You can even carry chair for her to sit down. Or you can carry one older brother to your Bible study. Or maybe you can even carry the Bible study to his house so yor can do it there. The Elder dem can arrange for field service meeting to be to some older brother or sister dem house. Like da, it can be easy for them to take part in the preaching work. Jehovah can be happy when we try our best to show love and respect for older people.—Prov. 3:27; Rom. 12:10.

18. Wetin we will talk about in the next article?

¹⁸ This article na remind us da Jehovah really love and value older people. And da just how all of us in the congregation feel about older people! Old age get it own problem, but Jehovah can help you to continue to be happy. (Ps. 37:25) Ehn it encouraging to know da in the future you will be young, strong and alright in your body again? But what about some of us who taking care of our family member who old, our child, or our friend who sick? How you can continue to be happy? We will talk about da one in the next article.