Why Old People Should Start Thinking About Heaven

This last week, while playing golf with some of my buddies, it came to my attention that most of our conversations centered around our latest surgery, how many funerals we attended last month or what body part did not seem to be working properly. 

There comes a time in life when a person begins to suspect that the warranty on the original equipment may be nearing its expiration date.  You know you are in trouble when your doctor stops saying, “See you next year,” and starts saying, “Let’s keep an eye on that.” At this stage in life, it is only sensible—perhaps even spiritually prudent—to start thinking about heaven.

As a Christian, I find myself less worried about the fact that I have an appointment with death as much as I worry about how it will happen. Some things we just can’t plan. With that in mind consider the following:

1. Make Sure Your Travel Arrangements Are In Order.

Last year, on a golfing trip to Bandon Dunes Oregon, something went wrong with my travel arrangements.  I found myself left behind on the return trip when I discovered the incorrect date on my plane ticket. We had just finished an exhausting six days walking approximately 42 miles on hilly fairways. Like everyone else, I was ready to get back home and unwind. I sadly waved goodbye to my fellow golfers at the airport, (who found great humor in my dilemma) and hired an uber ride to the nearest hotel.  Most of us plan our vacations with impressive seriousness. We compare hotels, read reviews, check the weather, and argue for three weeks about whether breakfast is included. Yet when it comes to the biggest trip of all, too many of us seem content to say, “I’ll figure it out when I get there.” This is bold, considering there is no return flight. This is one trip you want to give serious thought to.

2. Consider That Heaven Has Better Amenities Than Most Retirement Communities

Having spent the last 30 years of my career working in the Senior living business I know plenty about retirement communities. They advertise shuffleboard, walking trails, and Wednesday bingo. Heaven, by most accounts, offers eternal peace, perfect joy, and no need to remember where you put your reading glasses. There are no co-pays, no waiting rooms, no telemarketers, and no mysterious new passwords required every ninety days. Even better, the thermostat is presumably set by someone who understands comfort at a divine level. From what I understand from reading my Bible, the alternative to heaven is not quite as accommodating. 

3. You Won’t Have Nearly As Much To Complain About

Yesterday I got stuck behind a car at a stop light whose driver didn’t seem to understand the meaning of green. I managed to refrain laying on the horn, considering I might give a fellow old person a heart attack. Instead, I opened the window to release the steam streaming from my ears. Thinking about heaven has a way of shrinking everyday irritations. The neighbor’s leaf blower becomes less of a crisis. The grocery store line becomes a moment for patience rather than a courtroom drama. Even those wizard grandchildren who explain your phone to you for the eighth time can be seen as a blessing instead of a tiny tech-support tyrants. 

4. It Doesn’t Require Extensive Packing

I can’t speak for you, but I hate packing for trips. Fortunately this is one you don’t have to pack for. Everything gets left behind: the good china, the coin collection, and the recliner that has molded itself to your exact shape. What you do it to take, however, are things like kindness, faith, forgiveness, gratitude, and the habit of not beginning every sentence with, “Back in my day.” Preparing for heaven is less about packing a suitcase and more about lightening the load.

5. It Gives Perspective to the Final Chapter of Our Lives

Old age should not be treated as a waiting room with bad magazines. It can be a season of wisdom, generosity, storytelling, reconciliation, prayer, and occasionally telling the same story three times because it was excellent the first time. Thinking about heaven does not mean giving up on life. It means living the remaining days with clearer priorities, deeper peace, and perhaps breaking 90 on the golf course.

A Cheerful Conclusion

So yes, old people should start thinking about heaven—not with gloom, but with curiosity, hope, and maybe a little humor. After all, if the destination is eternal joy, it seems wise to spend some time reading the brochure.