I recently had my 65th birthday. If you want to send a late gift, cash is
always appropriate. Notice that I simply
said that I ‘had’ my 65th birthday.
Birthdays are celebrated more often when we are young. At this age every day you wake up is a cause
for celebration. Psalm 90:10 says, “Our
days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the
best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly
away.” On my 65th
birthday I really needed to hear God tell me my days ‘may’ come to 70
years. When one reaches the time of life
to retire, the age to qualify for Medicare and the age when the Bible says that
our days may come to 70 years it can truly get one’s attention.
Wow, God says ‘maybe’ 70 years…and I am 65! He did say 80 if our strength endures so I
joined a gym. My primary exercise
routine during my working career was to start the day with either a push-up or
a sit-up, depending on whether I woke face down or on my back. If I woke on my side I considered it a day
off from that exercise routine and just rolled out of bed. Now that I am retired I have time to do the
serious exercise that I had intended to do for several years. So far I’ve lost 25 pounds. My goal was to go from my starting weight of
192 pounds to 165 pounds on my 65th birthday.
I missed it by one pound but I felt like it was OK to eat some cake and
ice cream anyway. But I digress; cake
and ice cream tend to have that effect on me, back to the wake-up call on
realizing how old I had become.
My first thought was, “How did I get here so quickly?” Then, “I wonder how much time I have left?” The second question naturally arrives as one
does the research to determine if this is a good time to retire, is there is
enough money in one’s retirement account to possibly last the remaining years
of one’s life or when is the best time to apply for Social Security. My study showed that the average life span
for an American male is 79. I also
looked at my own family history. I added
the ages of my grandparents and parents at the time of their death and divided
by 6 and the average was 79. WOW!!!
The average American lifespan is 79.
The average lifespan from my family history is 79. The Bible says ‘maybe’ 70 or 80. I just turned 65. That really got my attention. If I don’t get hit by a truck tomorrow and
live the average age for an American male and a member of my family I may have only 14
years left. When I was in my
mid-thirties (which seems like another life-time ago as well as a blink of the
eye at the same time) I preached a message stating that, “according the average life span
for an American male my current age places me half-way there and if the last
half goes as quickly as the first half…that’s scary!” If being at the half-way mark got my attention in my mid-thirties, I can promise you that the rapid way life seems to move now has my full appreciation.
Without trying to sound morbid in my thinking on such
matters, I am trying to focus more on the importance of making the most of each
moment as life on this planet seems to zip along at a frightening pace. Perhaps a story from one of my seminary
professors will help make my point.
Dr. Lacoste Munn was a beloved teacher for many at
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
I took New Testament and Greek classes under his tutelage. I was always impressed with his knowledge and
teaching skills and he also had a unique sense of humor that made learning
fun. In fact, his students often spoke
of ‘Fun with Munn’. Although it has been
some 40 years since I sat in his classes I still remember much of what he
taught, as well as many of his stories.
A favorite of mine was what I call the Boiled Okra story. I may not do justice to the way Dr. Munn told
the story but I remember it something like this; A man owned two hound dogs who
loved leftovers. They waited at the back
door for their owner to toss out any leftover food. When he did toss out leftover food they both
would leap into the air trying to get the jump on each other to get to the food
first. He always got a kick out of
seeing the dogs compete with each other in such a manner as they gobbled the
food before it hit the ground. One day
his wife made some boiled okra. As one
can imagine there was quite a bit left over.
As the dogs heard the door open they scrambled toward the anticipated
feast. He took the bowl of boiled okra
and tossed it out the back door. As
usual both dogs leapt into the air seeking to gain an advantage and get to the
food first. However, the dog that got to
the okra first had it slide down his throat so quickly that he thought he
missed and bit the other dog thinking that he got the food.
The moral of the story is to slow down and savor life. When we gulp things down too quickly we often
miss the pleasure of the moment. As the
old saying goes, "It is not the
years in your life but the life in your years that counts." Jesus told us never to worry about
tomorrow (Matthew 6:34) but to focus on making the most of today. All through the Bible we are taught to live
for today making the most of the moment at hand. We are not guaranteed to be here tomorrow, or
even this afternoon. James 4:14 tells
illustrates this truth this way, “You don’t know what will happen tomorrow.
What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears.” This very moment is the only time we know we have
for certain. When we really understand
this truth we should pause and truly savor each moment we have. We should never ‘gulp’ down any moment but
focus on the beauty of each miraculous breath and savor the time with those with
whom we share each second.
I know believers look forward to an eternity of life after
our exit from this world but I have always believed that God wants us to make
the most of everyday we are here. That’s
why He continually reminds us that our time on earth is brief. I like the way this philosophy was expressed
by Colonel Jack Jacobs who said, “I believe in getting the most out of life
because I am going to be dead a long time.”
Over 40 years ago I preached my first sermon from John 10:10
where Jesus said, “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all
its fullness.” Every moment of anger,
frustration, bitterness, jealousy, etc. robs us of the fullness Jesus came to
give us. So whatever your age may be and
no matter how busy things become, remember tomorrow is not guaranteed and if
does come it will arrive quickly as each moment passes quickly and is gone
forever. Take time to slow down and
savor the moment. Let go of any anger or
frustration and forgive as quickly as possible. Don't delay any opportunity to life life in all its fullness. Look for joy, love and laughter in every
situation. Take the word of an ‘old sage’ (I can call myself that now),
this is the best way to live!
