Nearing Home by Billy Graham
Nearing Home by Billy Graham is well written, is inspirational, and offers many good suggestions for those of us that are aging and therefore nearing home. The book has abundant scripture references for almost every suggestion that he gives to make aging easier and more rewarding. He also shares stories from his past to illustrate certain points. One idea that he stresses throughout the book is that as long as we are alive, God has a purpose for our life and we should work to fulfill that purpose because old age does not exempt us from fulfilling the purposes in our life. He also reminds us that the Bible does not diminish old age but teaches us that old age has value and virtue.
In the first part of the book, Dr. Graham covers the practical subjects that deal with growing older such as wills, retirement, finances, and our final wishes dealing with the end of our life. The greater part of the book deals with how to look at retirement as a gift from God and how to use it wisely to do the things that God still wants us to do before we leave this earth for our home in Heaven. In retirement we have to make a choice of how we will deal with it. Will retirement be all about me or will I spend the time in meaningful activities that help others?
Dr. Graham emphatically states that we should not spend time thinking how weak we are but should put our thoughts into thinking how strong God is. The problems of old age are certain and rather than denying them we should admit they exist and prepare for them. With God’s grace we can accept them as part of His plan for our life. Aging is not easy but it can bring special joys. We have more time for family and friends, there is freedom from responsibilities, and we can now enjoy the small things in life. If we will put every day into God’s hands then we can grow closer to Christ in our golden years. Eventually we will not be able to do everything we once did or everything that we want to do. We should not dwell on this but thank God that there are still some things that we can do. We should work hard to do those things faithfully and to do them well. We should commit our time and self to Jesus Christ and do his will no matter what comes into our lives.
I want to end this review with wise words from Dr. Graham. “When the infirmities and struggles of old age threaten to overwhelm you, turn your heart toward your Heavenly home.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”