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Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World
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20 copies available
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In This Biblical Meditation, Jen Wilkin Offers Christians a Compelling and Hopeful Perspective on Aging and the Aged
The world tells us at every turn that aging is a steep descent into irrelevance, one to be avoided at all cost. This false story diminishes not only us but our elders and the time God gives us. But Scripture reveals a markedly different pattern of life, one of increasing value, that calls us to embrace our age and number our days rightly.
In this extended exploration of aging, Jen Wilkin draws poetic parallels between the first half of life and the second. Exploring the changing realities of caregiving, abilities, and potentiality, she helps us to trace God’s give-and-take design at every stage. Wilkin offers practical insights on body image, honoring the elderly, the essential value of family, and more. She urges us to trade an anti-aging mindset for the pursuit of biblical wisdom, encouraging believers to lean into―not fight―their place in the true story of the arc of life.
A Biblical Perspective on Aging: This book is a thought-provoking resource for those in their 20s, middle age, and beyond
Thoughtful: Using the metaphor of a chiastic poem, Wilkin explores the symmetry of life and helps us find value in each stage
Practical Application: Invites Christians to reject the world’s lies about age, pursue wisdom, steward their time well, and serve others as image bearers of God
Written by Bestselling Author Jen Wilkin: Author of None Like Him; In His Image; Women of the Word; and more
The world tells us at every turn that aging is a steep descent into irrelevance, one to be avoided at all cost. This false story diminishes not only us but our elders and the time God gives us. But Scripture reveals a markedly different pattern of life, one of increasing value, that calls us to embrace our age and number our days rightly.
In this extended exploration of aging, Jen Wilkin draws poetic parallels between the first half of life and the second. Exploring the changing realities of caregiving, abilities, and potentiality, she helps us to trace God’s give-and-take design at every stage. Wilkin offers practical insights on body image, honoring the elderly, the essential value of family, and more. She urges us to trade an anti-aging mindset for the pursuit of biblical wisdom, encouraging believers to lean into―not fight―their place in the true story of the arc of life.
A Biblical Perspective on Aging: This book is a thought-provoking resource for those in their 20s, middle age, and beyond
Thoughtful: Using the metaphor of a chiastic poem, Wilkin explores the symmetry of life and helps us find value in each stage
Practical Application: Invites Christians to reject the world’s lies about age, pursue wisdom, steward their time well, and serve others as image bearers of God
Written by Bestselling Author Jen Wilkin: Author of None Like Him; In His Image; Women of the Word; and more
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2026
About the author
Jen Wilkin
73 books1,590 followersJen Wilkin is a speaker, writer, and teacher of women’s Bible studies. During her thirteen years of teaching, she has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. Jen and her family are members of the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. She is the author of Women of the Word.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am a fan of Jen Wilkin's books and Bible studies. When I heard that she was writing a book on aging, I was excited. She is just a few years younger than I am and I knew she'd have insightful thoughts. The book comes out July 21 and is called "Dust to Dust, Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World."
Jen begins by discussing aging in our culture, and the way our culture seeks to deny and camouflage it. "We would never ask another woman her age and, should we discover it, we quickly assure her she doesn't look it. Because what higher compliment can I receive than that I don't look my age? Aging is a topic to avoid and a process to be prevented, concealed, and denied." She continues on to suggest that, for Christians, we're created to age but not to decline as people in that process. "We were created for eternal life uninterrupted by decline and death, and those united to Christ will one day look back on decline and death as rude interruptions on our journey toward eternity."
The main thought of this book is that our lives are similar to the chiasms used often in the Bible and other ancient Near Eastern literature. A chiasm is "a literary or anatomical structure where elements are presented and then repeated in reverse order, forming an X-like pattern." Many Psalms, for instance, use this structure.
The book compares various stages of life. First, we contrast birth/infancy with old age/death. "An infant is blissfully unaware of her progress, but an elderly person can be keenly aware of her regress."
We then look at childhood and compare it with old-ish age. In childhood, we make constant gains in strength and knowledge, while in old age we return to God the physical strength and independence that were given to us in our earlier years of life. "But when we are weak, Christ is strong ... Eulogy virtues thrive in the second half of life if we have gained a heart of wisdom to seek them. While arthritis, atrophy, or injury may take from us our ability to progress physically, these losses do not touch our ability to progress spiritually. If anything, they enhance it. The fruit of the Spirit still remains attainable for the aging and elderly, often with far less to distract from its pursuits as our worlds become more circumscribed by physical limits." I know that for me, it's a real treat to have an elderly person tell me they will pray for me. I am usually pretty sure that they will follow through on that more than a younger person might.
Jen mentions that we often think of the elderly as people "who used to be someone ... we reduce them to their resume virtues instead of reflecting on their eulogy virtues. But when their resume building contributions have ceased, their inner lives continue to deepen."
"When I meet with a 19-year-old wanting to know God's will for her life, she typically wants to know which major she should study, whether she should go to the mission field, whether she should marry the guy she's dating. She wants to know God's will in all of the choices ahead of her. When I meet with a 70-year-old, the number of choices for what is next in life is moving in the opposite direction. She is not contemplating whether to go to medical school to become a brain surgeon. Her perception of God's will for her life has sifted from choices about her circumstances to choices about her character."
She finally discusses midlife, when our childhoods and older ages come together. Each chapter has questions to ponder. She mentions that "knowing that calcification is coming for me, I am already considering how to remain pliable and teachable in healthy ways, and how to become increasingly 'more so' in Christlikeness." She mentions needing help with something and asking her young adult daughter, who helps her so nicely and without sarcasm. She then says a quick prayer that, when that daughter is older, her own children will help her as kindly.
She also mentions facing a health crisis in her 30s and walking in for an appointment, thinking "There is nothing a doctor can say to you today that can change the number of your days. My days were numbered by a sovereign God." She goes so far as to figure out the number of days she has lived and the number she may have left, based on averages. I love this lady; we have very similar ways of thinking.
"Physical beauty is fleeting, and perhaps that is the best news we could ever hear. As it flees us, a whole new world of self-forgetfulness begins to open ... (older) age grants us a form of invisibility. And much good work can be done when we're no longer concerned about others finding us attractive." I love this thought, and as a not-terribly-attractive person have meditated on it many times throughout life. I've had the thought that aging is probably more difficult for those who have been physically beautiful.
"The vast majority of us will play our part, make our contribution as we are able, and return to the dust with unresolved tension in our storylines. Relationships will not be healed, injustices will not be righted, milestones will not be reached, temptations will not be conquered. Thankfully, we believe in a storyline bigger than our lifetimes."
Did "Dust to Dust" put to rest all questions/fears I had about aging? No, but reading it was like having a conversation with a smart friend. I benefited from "Dust to Dust," and I hope you will too.
Jen begins by discussing aging in our culture, and the way our culture seeks to deny and camouflage it. "We would never ask another woman her age and, should we discover it, we quickly assure her she doesn't look it. Because what higher compliment can I receive than that I don't look my age? Aging is a topic to avoid and a process to be prevented, concealed, and denied." She continues on to suggest that, for Christians, we're created to age but not to decline as people in that process. "We were created for eternal life uninterrupted by decline and death, and those united to Christ will one day look back on decline and death as rude interruptions on our journey toward eternity."
The main thought of this book is that our lives are similar to the chiasms used often in the Bible and other ancient Near Eastern literature. A chiasm is "a literary or anatomical structure where elements are presented and then repeated in reverse order, forming an X-like pattern." Many Psalms, for instance, use this structure.
The book compares various stages of life. First, we contrast birth/infancy with old age/death. "An infant is blissfully unaware of her progress, but an elderly person can be keenly aware of her regress."
We then look at childhood and compare it with old-ish age. In childhood, we make constant gains in strength and knowledge, while in old age we return to God the physical strength and independence that were given to us in our earlier years of life. "But when we are weak, Christ is strong ... Eulogy virtues thrive in the second half of life if we have gained a heart of wisdom to seek them. While arthritis, atrophy, or injury may take from us our ability to progress physically, these losses do not touch our ability to progress spiritually. If anything, they enhance it. The fruit of the Spirit still remains attainable for the aging and elderly, often with far less to distract from its pursuits as our worlds become more circumscribed by physical limits." I know that for me, it's a real treat to have an elderly person tell me they will pray for me. I am usually pretty sure that they will follow through on that more than a younger person might.
Jen mentions that we often think of the elderly as people "who used to be someone ... we reduce them to their resume virtues instead of reflecting on their eulogy virtues. But when their resume building contributions have ceased, their inner lives continue to deepen."
"When I meet with a 19-year-old wanting to know God's will for her life, she typically wants to know which major she should study, whether she should go to the mission field, whether she should marry the guy she's dating. She wants to know God's will in all of the choices ahead of her. When I meet with a 70-year-old, the number of choices for what is next in life is moving in the opposite direction. She is not contemplating whether to go to medical school to become a brain surgeon. Her perception of God's will for her life has sifted from choices about her circumstances to choices about her character."
She finally discusses midlife, when our childhoods and older ages come together. Each chapter has questions to ponder. She mentions that "knowing that calcification is coming for me, I am already considering how to remain pliable and teachable in healthy ways, and how to become increasingly 'more so' in Christlikeness." She mentions needing help with something and asking her young adult daughter, who helps her so nicely and without sarcasm. She then says a quick prayer that, when that daughter is older, her own children will help her as kindly.
She also mentions facing a health crisis in her 30s and walking in for an appointment, thinking "There is nothing a doctor can say to you today that can change the number of your days. My days were numbered by a sovereign God." She goes so far as to figure out the number of days she has lived and the number she may have left, based on averages. I love this lady; we have very similar ways of thinking.
"Physical beauty is fleeting, and perhaps that is the best news we could ever hear. As it flees us, a whole new world of self-forgetfulness begins to open ... (older) age grants us a form of invisibility. And much good work can be done when we're no longer concerned about others finding us attractive." I love this thought, and as a not-terribly-attractive person have meditated on it many times throughout life. I've had the thought that aging is probably more difficult for those who have been physically beautiful.
"The vast majority of us will play our part, make our contribution as we are able, and return to the dust with unresolved tension in our storylines. Relationships will not be healed, injustices will not be righted, milestones will not be reached, temptations will not be conquered. Thankfully, we believe in a storyline bigger than our lifetimes."
Did "Dust to Dust" put to rest all questions/fears I had about aging? No, but reading it was like having a conversation with a smart friend. I benefited from "Dust to Dust," and I hope you will too.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A decent exploration of the stages of life with an emphasis on aging and death. It’s not exactly a pick me up but it is a pertinent subject in our world today. I thought the use of the chiasm to describe the parallel stages of life was brilliant. As always, Wilkin writes in language accessible to the layperson.
If I could change or develop one chapter further, it would be the one on middle age. It’s the “center” of the chiasm, which Wilkin notes does not mean that it is most important, but rather it is the “peak” of life, after which we slowly decline in age. My issue was with her reasons for our cultural emphasis on anti-aging—she cites post-modernism and individualism as the main reasons. She offers the example of a woman wanting to have work done on her body “so that her body will still be attractive to her husband.” That statement is problematic on all kinds of levels. Sure, it reveals a post-modern, individualistic “you do you” mentality, but it also reveals unhealthy gender and relationship dynamics. Wilkin missed out on commenting on the underlying social issues here: that our difficulties with body image and aging have far more to do with the historical male-dominant perspective and unequal gender roles than individualism. Beauty standards for women have always catered to what is pleasing to the male gaze; why else would women wear painful corsets or bind their feet—both of which permanently disfigured their bodies—for the sake of beauty? The cosmetic treatments of today aren’t a new phenomenon. While Wilkin makes good points about our idolatry of youth, this is by no means a new issue and it needs addressing at the heart of the matter: discovering what it means to be “female” and “beautiful” in God’s eyes, outside of male-driven sexual preferences and within healthier cross-gender relationships. Not to mention that far more men struggle with this than we know; their silence is more likely due to social constraints on male expressions of vulnerability and emotion. I realize that I come from a different social/gender lens than Wilkin, and it shows itself most clearly on this issue.
A second issue: her basic premise of dualism. She writes, “We have perhaps forgotten that we are a duality of body and soul.” Mm, no, that’s called dualism and is a heresy that was refuted in the fourth century. Orthodox Christian belief states that we are one whole being—body, soul, and mind all one. You cannot separate one from the other. To be a human being that has been breathed into by the Spirit of life means that our entire being is holy and sacred, including our bodies. She writes, “Our bodies are made to remind us we are children of dust. Our souls are made to remind us we are children of heaven.” Except, I must argue that our bodies were made perfect in the garden, and our souls are just as subject to the forces of evil as our bodies are. Both body and soul were present in the garden; both body and soul are redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection, only we need to wait longer to fully realize the resurrection of the body. Yes, we all experience the inevitability of physical death here in this part of life. But that’s not the end of the story. I realize that Wilkin is keeping her narrative to the life we live here on earth. But as Christians, we absolutely cannot end the story there; our bodies, too, will be resurrected and made new. As NT Wright says, it’s “the life after life after death.” That quote, too, should indicate that I come from a different theological place than Wilkin, hence my disagreement on this point.
As a third point, I’m critical about her emphasis on the nuclear family as essential to the aging process. She compares caregiving for children in early adulthood with the later stages of caregiving for parents. She acknowledges that not every person will have children, but seems to limit this to single people and widowed people, saying, “If you are single or widowed without children, you may have a pit growing in your stomach. How might any of this play out in your particular circumstances?” However, after a brief aside about how the church is the family of God, the majority of her examples are about and for a nuclear family. This does not include married couples who have not had children or even parents who are separated from their children. I get it, you can’t include everyone in every example. But her focus on the nuclear family subtly excludes those who do not fit that mold and leaves them wondering how this relates to their different-than-“normal”-looking lives. This has been my experience as a childless-not-by-choice woman, so I am sensitive to how books and statements like these can implicitly leave out those who don’t fit that mold.
Those three points aside, it’s a decent book. I’m critical about the implicit theology, but on the surface, it’s a good launchpad for more discussions on death and the aging process.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crossway for the eARC.
If I could change or develop one chapter further, it would be the one on middle age. It’s the “center” of the chiasm, which Wilkin notes does not mean that it is most important, but rather it is the “peak” of life, after which we slowly decline in age. My issue was with her reasons for our cultural emphasis on anti-aging—she cites post-modernism and individualism as the main reasons. She offers the example of a woman wanting to have work done on her body “so that her body will still be attractive to her husband.” That statement is problematic on all kinds of levels. Sure, it reveals a post-modern, individualistic “you do you” mentality, but it also reveals unhealthy gender and relationship dynamics. Wilkin missed out on commenting on the underlying social issues here: that our difficulties with body image and aging have far more to do with the historical male-dominant perspective and unequal gender roles than individualism. Beauty standards for women have always catered to what is pleasing to the male gaze; why else would women wear painful corsets or bind their feet—both of which permanently disfigured their bodies—for the sake of beauty? The cosmetic treatments of today aren’t a new phenomenon. While Wilkin makes good points about our idolatry of youth, this is by no means a new issue and it needs addressing at the heart of the matter: discovering what it means to be “female” and “beautiful” in God’s eyes, outside of male-driven sexual preferences and within healthier cross-gender relationships. Not to mention that far more men struggle with this than we know; their silence is more likely due to social constraints on male expressions of vulnerability and emotion. I realize that I come from a different social/gender lens than Wilkin, and it shows itself most clearly on this issue.
A second issue: her basic premise of dualism. She writes, “We have perhaps forgotten that we are a duality of body and soul.” Mm, no, that’s called dualism and is a heresy that was refuted in the fourth century. Orthodox Christian belief states that we are one whole being—body, soul, and mind all one. You cannot separate one from the other. To be a human being that has been breathed into by the Spirit of life means that our entire being is holy and sacred, including our bodies. She writes, “Our bodies are made to remind us we are children of dust. Our souls are made to remind us we are children of heaven.” Except, I must argue that our bodies were made perfect in the garden, and our souls are just as subject to the forces of evil as our bodies are. Both body and soul were present in the garden; both body and soul are redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection, only we need to wait longer to fully realize the resurrection of the body. Yes, we all experience the inevitability of physical death here in this part of life. But that’s not the end of the story. I realize that Wilkin is keeping her narrative to the life we live here on earth. But as Christians, we absolutely cannot end the story there; our bodies, too, will be resurrected and made new. As NT Wright says, it’s “the life after life after death.” That quote, too, should indicate that I come from a different theological place than Wilkin, hence my disagreement on this point.
As a third point, I’m critical about her emphasis on the nuclear family as essential to the aging process. She compares caregiving for children in early adulthood with the later stages of caregiving for parents. She acknowledges that not every person will have children, but seems to limit this to single people and widowed people, saying, “If you are single or widowed without children, you may have a pit growing in your stomach. How might any of this play out in your particular circumstances?” However, after a brief aside about how the church is the family of God, the majority of her examples are about and for a nuclear family. This does not include married couples who have not had children or even parents who are separated from their children. I get it, you can’t include everyone in every example. But her focus on the nuclear family subtly excludes those who do not fit that mold and leaves them wondering how this relates to their different-than-“normal”-looking lives. This has been my experience as a childless-not-by-choice woman, so I am sensitive to how books and statements like these can implicitly leave out those who don’t fit that mold.
Those three points aside, it’s a decent book. I’m critical about the implicit theology, but on the surface, it’s a good launchpad for more discussions on death and the aging process.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crossway for the eARC.
Review of advance copy
I blew through this short book in a couple of sittings, but it would be far, far more valuable in a book club setting. I am dying to discuss it with others; taking a slow chapter-by-chapter reflection (as the author urges--questions are provided) would yield such rich conversations!
As one negative review mentions, it does skew heavily toward the nuclear family and may feel less helpful to those who are not parents. It also sidesteps most complicated questions about family relationships and caring for aging parents. Wilkin's family situation in particular (both adult children and aging parents) comes off pretty idealized and will likely feel unrelatable/unattainable to many.
One other quibble: at several points, she seems to talk as though "deepening" with age is automatic, and I found myself wondering about issues like dementia, or selfish people who harden into bitter and unpleasant elderly people, and how those dynamics would affect the arguments Wilkin makes.
Still, in the end those issues don't detract from the overall depth of wisdom. This is an important and beautiful book. It's less about the false story of anti-aging than I expected (though she gets there powerfully in the end) and more about the "chiasm" of life and cherishing/caring for the elderly. I found myself not only cheering and making exclamation points in the margins, but also challenged and given much to chew on.
4.5 stars, rounding up because I think this topic is so critical and I so deeply appreciate Wilkin's rare and compelling contributions to the conversation.
As one negative review mentions, it does skew heavily toward the nuclear family and may feel less helpful to those who are not parents. It also sidesteps most complicated questions about family relationships and caring for aging parents. Wilkin's family situation in particular (both adult children and aging parents) comes off pretty idealized and will likely feel unrelatable/unattainable to many.
One other quibble: at several points, she seems to talk as though "deepening" with age is automatic, and I found myself wondering about issues like dementia, or selfish people who harden into bitter and unpleasant elderly people, and how those dynamics would affect the arguments Wilkin makes.
Still, in the end those issues don't detract from the overall depth of wisdom. This is an important and beautiful book. It's less about the false story of anti-aging than I expected (though she gets there powerfully in the end) and more about the "chiasm" of life and cherishing/caring for the elderly. I found myself not only cheering and making exclamation points in the margins, but also challenged and given much to chew on.
4.5 stars, rounding up because I think this topic is so critical and I so deeply appreciate Wilkin's rare and compelling contributions to the conversation.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In a world where we need truth more than ever, I always look at Jen Wilkin as a teacher I can trust. I am learning that aging is a privilege and Wilkin guides readers on how to do it in a way that honors God and not the world.
The concept that I never had before is when Jen Wilkin explores how middle age is the center point where we start "reverting" to stages we have lived before. After middle age, we become like adolescents in wanting our freedom but starting to lose it instead of gaining it. Wilkin also explores why as a society we buy the lies that aging is bad and we try to avoid it out of our own pride.
Wilkin is living what she preaches. In the last stages of life we will need to be cared for as we were as babies. We also are reminded of how to honor those we love as they age as the Bible states to do with parents and elders. She shares how she does this with the parents in her life and it was a reminder I needed.
I am thankful for Crossway and Wilkin for always publishing truth and I will be returning to this book to read in a deeper manner and sharing with friends. But, with that said, I will probably still keep trying to keep my gray hairs covered.
I received this book thanks to NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
The concept that I never had before is when Jen Wilkin explores how middle age is the center point where we start "reverting" to stages we have lived before. After middle age, we become like adolescents in wanting our freedom but starting to lose it instead of gaining it. Wilkin also explores why as a society we buy the lies that aging is bad and we try to avoid it out of our own pride.
Wilkin is living what she preaches. In the last stages of life we will need to be cared for as we were as babies. We also are reminded of how to honor those we love as they age as the Bible states to do with parents and elders. She shares how she does this with the parents in her life and it was a reminder I needed.
I am thankful for Crossway and Wilkin for always publishing truth and I will be returning to this book to read in a deeper manner and sharing with friends. But, with that said, I will probably still keep trying to keep my gray hairs covered.
I received this book thanks to NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I think what I appreciated most about this book is that, as Wilkin notes, aging is a topic the church is not talking about. This book serves as an excellent launchpad for conversations about aging and how the church can better foster intergenerational relationships. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter were a nice addition, making this an excellent choice for group study. I would encourage pastors and church leaders to read this book as they consider how to better support and include older adults within their congregations.
My favorite quote comes from the final chapter:
"The true story of aging is predicated on joy. Savor growing old. It is a journey into deeper wisdom and self-forgetfulness. Old age is a privilege. Greet death before your dying day. Decline and death are part of God's roadmap for a life lived to the full." (p. 173)
A thoughtful and timely read that challenges the church to view aging not as something to fear, but as a gift and an important part of God's design.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Crossway for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
My favorite quote comes from the final chapter:
"The true story of aging is predicated on joy. Savor growing old. It is a journey into deeper wisdom and self-forgetfulness. Old age is a privilege. Greet death before your dying day. Decline and death are part of God's roadmap for a life lived to the full." (p. 173)
A thoughtful and timely read that challenges the church to view aging not as something to fear, but as a gift and an important part of God's design.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Crossway for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
June 8, 2026
I knew as soon as I saw this book it would be handled in a way only Jen Wilkin can do… she hooked me from the dedication. She gave words to a lot of what I’ve felt or wondered about before and made it beautiful.
As she mentions in the beginning, this isn’t a book about deaths but about life and living it fully. What is the true story (as opposed to the false narrative) of aging, and how can we live it?
I highlighted so much of this. And as I’ve read through this book I’ve been contemplating aging from a biblical perspective and have been able to see the false stories that influenced me. It changes the perspective from “aging is a burden”, to a “aging is a gift”.
I needed the depth, wisdom, honesty and even beauty, that she brings to the topic. Life is a gift from God in all of its stages and to age isn’t to diminish, it is to deepen.
I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know (of all ages, because she covers each age group).
As she mentions in the beginning, this isn’t a book about deaths but about life and living it fully. What is the true story (as opposed to the false narrative) of aging, and how can we live it?
I highlighted so much of this. And as I’ve read through this book I’ve been contemplating aging from a biblical perspective and have been able to see the false stories that influenced me. It changes the perspective from “aging is a burden”, to a “aging is a gift”.
I needed the depth, wisdom, honesty and even beauty, that she brings to the topic. Life is a gift from God in all of its stages and to age isn’t to diminish, it is to deepen.
I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know (of all ages, because she covers each age group).
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book could easily be required reading if you have ever considered how to enter the conversation of aging in our culture’s landscape—outside as much as inside the church. Jen’s writing helped guide my thinking around aging and life stages. There were multiple points when I was reading with tear filled eyes as I looked behind me and ahead, as I remember to number my days. I especially loved the questions provided at the end of each chapter to spur on further reflection and application.
I am grateful for Jen’s hopeful and practical wisdom to the church, informed by the whole of God’s Word. Such a timely reminder to look no further than God’s design for our flourishing rather than the world’s futile resistance to aging.
I am grateful for Jen’s hopeful and practical wisdom to the church, informed by the whole of God’s Word. Such a timely reminder to look no further than God’s design for our flourishing rather than the world’s futile resistance to aging.
July 11, 2026
Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley
“…Many have stumbled into the false story of anti-aging because the church has been silent about the true story.”
I really enjoyed this book! I’ve never thought about aging through a faith lens, but Jen does a wonderful job providing both perspective and hope through a biblical exploration of growing older.
“…Many have stumbled into the false story of anti-aging because the church has been silent about the true story.”
I really enjoyed this book! I’ve never thought about aging through a faith lens, but Jen does a wonderful job providing both perspective and hope through a biblical exploration of growing older.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Whew, this is the book we all (people of any age) need to be reading.
We've bought culture's obsession with anti-aging hook, line, and sinker, and it has devastating implications for all of us.
This was different than I was expecting, but in a good way. I thought there would be more of a focus on resisting cosmetic anti-aging strategies, but for such a short book, Jen Wilkin did a great job giving us a bigger picture of a biblical view of aging.
"The false story of anti-aging says: Outward decline signals loss of identity and fear of suffering and death. To age is to diminish. The true story of aging says: Outward decline yields inward growth of spiritual and resurrection hope. To age is to deepen."
There were SO many good thoughts on how aging is a privilege, how elderly people are people to be loved and not a problem to solve, how to honor our aging parents, and yes, how to think about outward signs of aging. The message of the book is counter-cultural, but it gives me hope where culture only gives fear.
It may be helpful to note that I am reading this as a 35-year-old, so I'm not even to the "midlife" stage as she defines it in this book. But what a gift to have more time to, by God's grace, apply some of the lessons shared here, not just in my own mind, but also in relationships with others.
I will be recommending this to every woman I know, and think it will be the start of many good conversations.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crossway for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
We've bought culture's obsession with anti-aging hook, line, and sinker, and it has devastating implications for all of us.
This was different than I was expecting, but in a good way. I thought there would be more of a focus on resisting cosmetic anti-aging strategies, but for such a short book, Jen Wilkin did a great job giving us a bigger picture of a biblical view of aging.
"The false story of anti-aging says: Outward decline signals loss of identity and fear of suffering and death. To age is to diminish. The true story of aging says: Outward decline yields inward growth of spiritual and resurrection hope. To age is to deepen."
There were SO many good thoughts on how aging is a privilege, how elderly people are people to be loved and not a problem to solve, how to honor our aging parents, and yes, how to think about outward signs of aging. The message of the book is counter-cultural, but it gives me hope where culture only gives fear.
It may be helpful to note that I am reading this as a 35-year-old, so I'm not even to the "midlife" stage as she defines it in this book. But what a gift to have more time to, by God's grace, apply some of the lessons shared here, not just in my own mind, but also in relationships with others.
I will be recommending this to every woman I know, and think it will be the start of many good conversations.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crossway for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
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