For women 65 and older

Your best fruit is still to come

Retired, grandmother, widowed, or married: God isn’t finished with you. This page is for you, so you can keep growing, keep serving, and leave a legacy of faith.

Your calling

God still wants to use you

Retiring from work is not retiring from the Kingdom. Your experience, your prayers, and your faith are a treasure to the church.

“They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright.”

PSALM 92:14–15

Teach the younger women

God calls older women to teach and encourage younger women (Titus 2:3–5). Someone needs your wisdom.

Be a prayer warrior

Like Anna in the temple, who worshiped with fasting and prayer night and day (Luke 2:37).

Share your testimony

Tell what God has done in your life. "One generation shall commend your works to another" (Psalm 145:4).

Serve with what you have

A phone call, a card, a meal, or a visit can change someone’s day.

For grandmothers

Five ways to leave a legacy of faith

  1. 1

    Pray for each grandchild by name

    Your prayers go with them even when they are far away. Make a list and pray for them every day.

  2. 2

    Tell them your story

    Share how you came to know Jesus and how He has been faithful. Your stories are a gift.

  3. 3

    Read the Bible together

    In person or by video call. One Bible story or one Psalm is enough.

  4. 4

    Support their parents

    Encourage your children in their parenting without taking their place. Pray for them and offer help.

  5. 5

    Be a living example

    Grandmother Lois’s sincere faith passed to her daughter and her grandson Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5). Yours can too.

For widows

God is your defender

Losing your husband leaves a deep ache. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. God is near to the brokenhearted and has a special care for widows.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

PSALM 68:5

Grieve with hope

It’s okay to cry. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Don’t isolate yourself

Let the church walk with you. Look for a grief support group in your area.

Ask for practical help

With paperwork, finances, the house, or rides. Asking for help is not weakness.

Your life has purpose

God still has good works prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10).

For married women

A marriage that finishes well

After many years together, marriage enters a new season: more time, new health challenges, and new opportunities to serve together.

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

PROVERBS 31:10

Pray together every day

Start or end the day praying together. It’s a gift to your marriage.

Serve together

Open your home, visit others, or support a ministry at church.

Care for each other tenderly

In sickness and in health. Patient love is a beautiful testimony (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Plan wisely

Talk about health, finances, and wishes for the future. It’s a way to love your family.

Real questions

Things you may be wondering

I feel useless since I retired.

Your worth never came from your job. God still has a purpose for you: to pray, teach, encourage, and serve. Ask your church where you are needed.

My health isn’t what it used to be. How do I keep growing?

"Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Use a large-print Bible or an audio Bible, and pray wherever you are.

I feel lonely.

Loneliness is common in this season, and you don’t have to stay there. Call someone, come to church, and let others visit you. If the sadness doesn’t lift, talk to your doctor.

My children or grandchildren don’t follow God.

Keep praying and loving them. Don’t lose hope; God hears the prayers of a mother and grandmother. Your life is a testimony they see.

How do I prepare my heart for the end of life?

Rest in Jesus’ promise: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Talk with your family and your pastor; God’s peace will guard your heart.

Read next

Books for you

Adorned

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

On Titus 2: older and younger women growing together in the gospel.

Large-print Bible

ESV or NKJV

Easier to read every day. Ask at your Christian bookstore.

Audio Bible

Free apps

Listen to God’s Word while you rest, walk, or cook.

If you need a large-print Bible, write to us and we’ll help you get one.

If you need help

You don’t have to face this alone. These lines are free and confidential.

You are in danger

Call 911

You feel hopeless

988

Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7.

Services for older adults

1-800-677-1116

Eldercare Locator: local help with rides, meals, and more

Someone is hurting you

1-800-799-7233

National Domestic Violence Hotline

We are here for you

Request prayer or a visit

Write to us if you’d like prayer for yourself, your children or grandchildren, or if you’d like someone from church to call or visit you.

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“Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

ISAIAH 46:4

Your life is a treasure to us. Thank you for your example. — Nancy