Learning to trust God’s purpose when life grows quieter
Nearing the end of my seventies, I am more aware than ever of how quickly the seasons of my life have changed. Comparing what my life is today with what it once was can bring a jarring sense of sadness—even depression. Was it only yesterday that my days were filled with raising children, earning a living, an active social life, and the joy of serving as a church musician?
At the time, I did not recognize what a blessing it was to come and go as I pleased, or to see well enough to read—not only books, but musical scores. All of the things that once defined me now feel like distant memories.
This new season crept up on me. I don’t remember ever seriously thinking about what life might be like in this “winter” season. In fact, I began a new career as a history adjunct professor in my sixties. I suppose I believed I could go on indefinitely—that I would somehow avoid the difficulties many seniors face. I did not anticipate the rapid onset of vision loss or neuropathy.
Many of us discover while navigating this winter season, that it is easy to look back on earlier years as the good times—when life felt full—and may grieve over what our life has become. We find we can no longer do many of the things we once did. Loneliness can creep in, and feelings of being overlooked are common. Isolation comes easily.
Family members may call or visit less often now. It’s easy to assume, They no longer care. But perhaps we forget that when we were their age—busy raising children, earning a living, and managing daily responsibilities—we too failed at times to stay connected with our aging parents or grandparents. I wish I had known then how stopping by for a visit could “make their day”.
I’ve had to face the hard truth that while I can no longer do most of what I could even fifteen years ago, it is still important to do the best I can with what remains. Whatever bit I have left—use it. And trust my Good Shepherd to lead me along this unfamiliar path.
Even in life’s winter, God is not finished with us yet.
I believe we all must find purpose in the season we are living right now. The enemy would like us to believe that we are old, used up, and have nothing left to offer. That leaves us discouraged and defeated. But it is a lie.
Isaiah reminds us that God knew us while we were being formed in our mother’s womb and that He had a plan for our lives long before we took our first breath. He gifted each of us with unique abilities, fully aware of every season we would experience—including this one. Nothing about our present limitations surprises Him.
This promise has become an anchor for me:
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He,
I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
— Isaiah 46:4
Whatever scraps we feel we have left to work with, God knows how to use them—for His glory.
There is an old gospel song that says, “Little is much when God is in it.” I am learning that this truth holds in life’s winter just as surely as it did in its spring.
Closing Blessing
This season may look different, feel quieter, and move more slowly—but it still matters. And so do we.
May we find peace in knowing that no season of life is wasted in God’s hands.
May we trust the Shepherd who walks with us through winter paths,
carrying what feels too heavy for us to bear.
And may we rest in the truth that even now—especially now—
our lives still have purpose, value, and meaning.
Little is much, when God is in it.
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