Psalm 90:12
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Today
I crossed a line, albeit an artificial one. Today I turned 65 years old. Today
I entered the ranks of Medicare, although not yet Social Security. Today is one
of those benchmarks of life.
When
I was growing up, I thought anyone who was 65 was ancient. By the age of 65 a
person was heading out to pasture, life was basically over. All of the jokes
about being over the hill flourished. It was time to retire, move over, and let
others take your place. Today I turned 65 and I do not feel ancient or over the
hill. I willingly will encourage others to take their place beside me, but I am
not ready to move over and get out of the way.
One
of my favorite quotes about aging came from Satchel Page, one of the elite
Negro League baseball players who broke the color barrier and entered the Major
Leagues. When asked how old he was, he responded, “How old would you be if you
didn’t know how old you was?” As best as anyone can tell, Page pitched for the
Cleveland Indians into his 50’s.
Getting
older is a matter of both the passage of time and our attitude. There is
nothing we can do about the passage of time, but we do have a choice about our
attitude. I have known people in their 50’s who were “old” and people in their
80’s who were not. The difference was their attitude toward life.
In
Psalm 90, Moses challenges us to be very careful about our life. He tells us to
number our days in the right way, so that we can gain a heart of wisdom. Wisdom
comes as we are able to look back over our life, determine the lessons that we
have learned, and then live accordingly. It is possible for us to live our
lives in the past and turn our back on the future. It is also possible for us
to live each day as an isolated event, unaffected by yesterday and with no
thought for tomorrow. Or we can see our life as a journey that is leading us
in a particular direction. Each day is informed by the past and has an eye on
where it will lead in the future.
Paul
challenged us, in his letter to the Ephesians, to take the days of our lives
seriously. Be very careful, then, how you
live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because
the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's
will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to
God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians
5:15-20
As I
reflect upon “crossing the line”, I am determined to make this next phase of my
life the very best. I have made mistakes in the past, learned a few lessons, and
now it is time to live out of a heart of wisdom. I do not look forward with
apprehension, but with anticipation of how God might use me. And so I resonate
with the words of Paul in Philippians 3:12-14. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold
of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.
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