In less than two hours, I would be turning 60.
Wow. I never thought I would reach this far. I have tasted what 40 and 50 felt like, and I can tell you each milestone has its own flavor.
As I write this, I am sitting in our dining room, in solitude, feeling the weight of my years. Time continues to march on inexorably. Ever the pensive introvert, I like to tease “Öh, I’m old! I’m ancient!” I would have added “I’m decrepit” but that would be laying it a bit thick.
Besides, I thank God for my relatively good health. By His grace, my worst enemy is allergic rhinitis. I still have my mental faculties. And I thank God for giving me a loving, faithful co-pilgrim in Lucy as we saunter into the sunset.
I tend to gravitate to what Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers” (Genesis 47:9).
In my six decades feeling the dust of this earth, I had my share of ups and downs… mostly downs. I remember the things I have said and wish I have not, the things I didn’t do and wish I did. I remember the valley of tears which seem to be more than the mountaintops of ecstasy.
But I am still here. Another thing Jacob said, this time on his deathbed, came to mind. Genesis 48:15 says in part, “the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.”
I draw great comfort that Jacob lamented that with longevity comes burden and there were times it seemed that God abandoned him to his own devices. But as the curtain closed for the last time, he was filled with serene gratitude that God – his shepherd – was with him all along.
Every. Single. Day.
Tomorrow, as they say, is the first day of the rest of my life. I continue to fill my mind with learning. I continue to dedicate my writing and speaking gifts to the Lord. I continue to share hard-knock wisdom to whoever wishes to listen.
Will I see my own curtain close two years from now? Ten? Twenty? Thirty? Mortality tends to freeze you and reassess everything. But what counts is that each day is travelled with the Shepherd. That, alone, is worth the journey I call life.
Such is the hope we have when we put ourselves at the loving hand of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I do hope you will taste the same blessing.
Happy birthday po! The best years are yet to come 🙂