The Contented Life: Spirituality and the Gift of Years
4/5
()
About this ebook
Robert Atwell
Robert Atwell is Chair of the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England and the Bishop of Exeter.
Read more from Robert Atwell
Celebrating the Seasons: Daily Spiritual Readings for the Christian Year Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCelebrating the Saints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Worship Guide: Leading Liturgy Well Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - Turning to Christ: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - Leader's Guide: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeace At The Last: Leading Funerals Well Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - The Beatitudes: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - The Bible: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - The Creeds: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - The Lord's Prayer: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim - Church and Kingdom: A Course for the Christian Journey - Church and Kingdom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim The Commandments: A Course for the Christian Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Contented Life
Related ebooks
Escape Routes: For People Who Feel Trapped in Life’s Hells Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Giving Attention: Becoming what we truly are Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Ignatian Way: A Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLittle Flowers for God: Collected Poetry Volume I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnni: Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wachter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amounting to Nothing: Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30-Day Journey with Julian of Norwich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmbassadors of God: Selected Obituaries from The Catholic Worker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSt. Francis and the Christian Life: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle to the Galatians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStirred, Not Shaken: Sermons For An Emerging Generation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmbedded Faith: The Faith Journeys of Young Adults within Church Communities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll Will Be Well: Saintly Companions in Times of Suffering Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Go Small: Because God Doesn't Care About Your Status, Size, or Success Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Journey Never Ends: How to Prepare a Spiritual Will Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nature of Things: Rediscovering the Spiritual in God’s Creation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeeds of Faith: Theology and Spirituality at the Heart of Christian Belief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Have the Words of Eternal Life: Reflections on the weekday readings for the liturgical year 2020/2021 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wilderness Within: Meditation and modern life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyday Contemplative: The Way of Prayerful Living Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSetting the Spiritual Clock: Sacred Time Breaking Through the Secular Eclipse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGale Researcher Guide for: Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vowed Life: The promise and demand of baptism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCradled in the Arms of Love: Childlike Confidence as the Heart of Holiness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLay Spirituality: From Traditional to Postmodern Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving Memento Mori: My Journey through the Stations of the Cross Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Church Beyond Walls: Christian Spirituality at Large Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Do You Seek?: Wisdom from religious life for today's world Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Were Spiritual Refugees: A Story to Help You Believe in Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStraightening the Wayward Path: Online Chats About Discernment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEveryday Spirituality: A Collection Of Poems For Spiritual Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reflections on the Psalms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind Workbook: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Contented Life
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Contented Life - Robert Atwell
The Contented Life
Contents
Author’s Note
Foreword by Joan Bakewell
1 Invitation
2 Retirement
3 Living
4 Memories
5 Forgiveness
6 Becoming
7 Happiness
8 Finale
Notes
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
This book began as a lecture to a group of older people in the Diocese of Chester who felt sidelined by our culture’s obsession with youth and celebrity. ‘Have we nothing to contribute?’ they asked. They were fed up with older people being seen as a problem, rather than an asset. They were equally fed up with endless talk about death and dying. What they wanted to talk about was life and living, and what they could contribute to their local communities.
So it was that I gave a talk on contentment and the gift of years. This was subsequently printed as a series of short articles and posted on the Diocesan website where it generated a huge correspondence. In over thirty years of ministry, I have never had such a large and overwhelmingly positive response to anything I have written, which led me to believe that the themes I was exploring might merit a wider audience.
I am indebted to those who first laid down the gauntlet and made me think about the challenges and opportunities that confront us as we grow older. I would also like to record my thanks to those whose stories are told in this book. Doubtless they will recognize themselves in spite of my efforts to disguise their identity. I am particularly grateful to Priscilla McBride, Xandra Bingley, Margaret Andrews, Rosemary Spencer and John Varty, all of whom read a draft of the book and made helpful suggestions.
Robert Atwell
This book is dedicated to the clergy and people of the
Diocese of Chester, from whom I have learnt a great deal
and with whom I am privileged to serve as a bishop.
Foreword
More and more people are living into old age. That we know for a fact. But there is a good deal of evidence that old age can be an isolating and depressing time. This may be due to physical circumstances or the failure of society to provide enough care. But there is another concern that applies to all of us as the years roll by. It is our changing attitude to the life we have on earth and our growing thoughtfulness about what it means to be alive.
Old people often have plenty of time on their hands and thinking about such matters is a good way to occupy a part of each day. With our careers over and the children having left home, we are thrown on our own resources. I know that many people turn that time and opportunity to good account, and enjoy rich and fulfilling lives until the very end.
But some need a little help and guidance when it comes to considering the profounder issues of our lives. Sometimes people feel angry about missed opportunities and resentment about careers that didn’t match up to early hopes. Indeed that is probably true of most of us. Young hearts are full of passionate expectations and not many of us can live up to them. In our older years we can be beset by regret and failure.
This book seeks to turn such sad thoughts towards a more constructive and comforting analysis of what old age can bring. I am finding in my own life that you sometimes have to work hard to uncover its riches but that once you do, this can be one of life’s most rewarding eras. Robert Atwell understands these matters well. He brings to bear all his insights and wisdom in offering those of us advancing steadily towards life’s end a new and optimistic way of getting there.
Joan Bakewell
You never enjoy the world aright till the sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with the stars, and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are every one sole heirs as well as you. Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and kings in sceptres, you never enjoy the world. Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations1
Invitation
One of the great things about the twenty-first century is that most of us can expect to live far longer than our grandparents. Modern medical care and good health permit a quality of life vastly superior to what was possible fifty years ago. Life – at least in the developed world – is now roughly divided into three parts: twenty years of education, forty years of work, followed by twenty or thirty years of leisure. But are we prepared for the opportunity that this represents?
Far from being a grim affair of shrinking horizons, growing older can be an adventure, full of new and exciting possibilities. With the mortgage paid and the children flown the nest, our time is our own. No longer at anyone’s beck and call, we are free to do what we like. Cheap air flights make travel to remote parts of the world possible. The University of the Third Age offers a range of educational opportunities. Fitness programmes encourage us to keep supple and trim. All this is a rare luxury compared with the lot of previous generations, and marks us out still further from those who live in poorer parts of the world. Suddenly there is the chance to do things we always dreamed of. T. S. Eliot’s words beckon us: ‘Old men ought to be explorers.’¹
Of course, not everyone is energized by a fresh set of opportunities. The prospect of radical change in the pattern of daily life can generate waves of anxiety. Some find the relentless pace of technological change intimidating. They watch young people quickly master the latest piece of electronic wizardry while they fumble. Others find their confidence undermined by the way in which the values and principles they used to measure success no longer seem to matter to a new generation. Do you fight or capitulate? In a society where losing your looks and growing old is feared it is hard to believe your experience is valued, no matter what the official rhetoric declares. Not surprisingly, many older people feel they no longer have significance.
In some professions age is not a handicap. Lawyers and judges in particular are respected for their accumulated wisdom