I turned seventy last December. When I was
younger, I thought people that were seventy were geezers. Now I “are” one! I do
not feel like a geezer, however, except for the occasional pain in the joints
when rising from a chair etc. Someone once posed the question to me that was
thought provoking, “How old would you be if you did not know how old you are?”
I think the question goes to state of mind. I certainly do not feel seventy
most of the time. I would say I was about forty to forty-five with hair bleached
white by the sun!
As I think about being seventy, I think about
how much time I have left before I get to stand face-to-face with Jesus. It
could be today or, possibly, I could live another twenty-five years or so.
Advancements in modern science being what they are, it could be even longer. A
physician friend of mine told me that the body without the effects of cancer
and heart disease could function to one hundred and twenty! I am not sure I
would like to hang around that long, but I will stay as long as He lets me and
not a second more.
Coach Mark Richt, the former head football
coach at the University of Georgia, had a motto for his teams…”Finish The
Drill” It originated in his pre-season Winter workouts that were notoriously
brutal. He used it all season long as a battle cry. His challenge to his
players was to give it all you can give for the entire sixty minutes of the
game and finish strong. I take that thought as a personal challenge. I want to
finish strong. I want to finish well. I have a little saying that I keep on my
desk. Here it is:
“Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming,
“WOW – What a ride!”
Sure, after forty
years in ministry, I am a bit weary but as Paul says in his letter to the
people of the church at Phillipi in chapter four, verse thirteen, “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.” I want to be able to say like Paul
says in his second letter to Timothy, chapter four, verse seven, “I have fought
the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Tomorrow is not
promised to any of us, but at the end of each day we can have the thought,
“Today, with God’s help, I finished the drill, I finished well, I finished
strong.” If we do that, at the end of our days, we can hope to hear our Lord
say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”
MINISTRY NEWS
§ Continued Friday Morning Bible Study
studying Proverbs.
§ Met with members of Young Life staff in
the
Southeast Region.
§ Met with individual men for counseling and
encouragement.
§ Attended Young Life Reunion Weekend for the
28th year.
§ Taking online course from Hillsdale College
on C.S. Lewis.
No matter how much longer we have, may we all say:
We finished the drill. We finished well. We finished strong.
“We
have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, and we have kept the
faith.”
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