Still something in the tank

John Woods reviews Not Old, Not Young, Not Done by Christopher Ash.

Moving through the various decades of our lives comes with unique challenges and opportunities. I remember speaking to an older man when I was 32 years old, who said that he felt that was a great age to be because I was still young but also had acquired some experience of life.

Of course we cannot stay at 32, 40 or 49. I have been interested to see that as I have got older my peers have suggested that 40 is the new 50 or that 50 is the new 60 – whatever that means.

Christopher Ash has stepped into this discussion with a helpful treatment of what it means to navigate life in our 50s and 60s. Ash calls this stage of our life “the afternoon”. That is an evocative way of thinking about these decades in which some assume they are over the hill and ready to be put out to grass. The idea of afternoon is that although morning is over, those who are in their 50s and 60s are not finished yet.

I like the style of the book, in which every chapter begins with a brief scene-setting story and ends with some probing questions. In between, Ash explores the limitations, challenges and opportunities of getting older from a Biblical perspective. The book is full of perceptive insights and helpful applications on a variety of subjects ranging from having a wise heart to coping with an “empty nest”.

One of the helpful “practical” chapters is the one on marriage, which explores the particular joys and pitfalls of being married in one’s 50s and 60s.

One of the most helpful “perspective” chapters is the one on “Getting Older”, which uses Roman 8v10 to describe the tension between living with a dying body and living in hope by the Holy Spirit.

The book is enhanced by a short section on a godly menopause by Sarah Allen (whose fuller book Pause on the subject was reviewed in the August 2024 issue of en.

Here is a wise, well-written book that will be of immense help to those in the “afternoon” of life.

NOT OLD, NOT YOUNG, NOT DONE: Following Jesus in your 50s & 60s By Christopher Ash
The Good Book Co. 184 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 802 543 254