Only a couple years out of college, I told my coworkers that I looked forward to being old. They weren’t just dismissive of that comment. They were indignant. On one level, I know why. I understood little to nothing at age 23 about the hardships of aging and caring for the dying. I hadn’t yet suffered many of life’s inevitable pains. At the same time, I looked forward to greater wisdom, maybe even the defeat of some sins and temptations. I was excited about all I could learn if the Lord granted me years. Maybe I even had a couple Bible verses in my head, like Proverbs 16:31: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Or Job 12:12: “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” Both those verses are cited by Jen Wilkin in her excellent new book, Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World (Crossway). If you take my youthful naivete at its best, I was recognizing what Jen distinguishes in her book: The world says to age is to diminish. But the Bible says to age is to deepen. Now in middle age, however, I experience the good and bad: The invisibility because no one would possibly notice my appearance. But also the freedom because I have that middle-aged dad’s superpower of not caring what other people think of my appearance. I didn’t realize how much I needed Jen’s book, and I was eager to ask a whole bunch of questions on Gospelbound. In This Episode 00:00 – Jen Wilkin reflects on her mother’s death and the symmetry of life 00:49 – Why Collin has long looked forward to old age 01:20 – Introducing Dust to Dust and the contrast between cultural decline and biblical deepening 02:31 – Why modern culture values youth over old age 03:55 – Jen’s first moments of realizing she was aging 05:46 – How aging feels different for men and women 07:49 – Why many people fear becoming a burden 10:08 – Assisted suicide, dependency, and surprising cultural opposition 14:47 – The “chiasm of life” and how beginning and end mirror each other 21:02 – Why midlife offers a unique vantage point for perspective and wisdom 24:50 – Caring simultaneously for children and aging parents 29:12 – Why caregiving isn’t a season but a default setting of life 32:10 – How modern longevity has changed the experience of family and aging 36:25 – “You will not surely die”: the anti-gospel of age denial 37:52 – How suffering narrows our priorities 40:34 – Honoring parents and the fuller meaning of the fifth commandment 45:44 – Retirement, crystallized knowledge, and later-life vocation 50:46 – A theology of aging before a debate about anti-aging practices 55:33 – Jen’s regrets, sanctification, and learning to honor parents well 1:00:26 – Final reflections on aging, family, and hope 1:01:07 – Outro Resources Mentioned: Dust to Dust by Jen Wilkin From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis SIGN UP for my newsletter, Unseen Things. Help The Gospel Coalition renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel: Donate today. Don’t miss an episode of Gospelbound with Collin Hansen: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube TGC Updates