Next Step! (Audio)
I’m tired of living in the past! Well. Maybe. It’s not just the memories of the past, much of what we recall and commiserate about are the negatives. Live in the valley of regret and you will continually struggle with making forward progress. It’s almost like climbing a steep trail and the peak is a long way off, and you’re breathing hard, your muscles are tired, and the trip down looks more appealing than the trip up!
Looking over our shoulders at the past keeps us stumbling in the present and never making forward progress. Click To TweetI’m also tired of standing in the same place for longer than I ever thought I would! But between my past and future, there’s no time like the present and no better place to be than where I am right now!
Just a snapshot, please, blogging for the past 8 years, 30+ years ministering, 33+ years an IT professional, 40 years a proud papa, 43+ years a happily married man, and for over 45 years I’ve been out of High School! That’s a combined 199 years of experiences!
Along the way, there have been accomplishments, failures, highs and lows, good decisions mixed in with some not so good, and through it all I never doubted that I would survive all the pitfalls and valleys, steep climbs and high peaks, and those dizzyingly difficult decisions of making the next step count!
As Caleb said to Joshua when it was finally time to cross into the Promised Land, “Give me this mountain!” He did not do it from a feeble state. He had proved himself since the days of what we might call middle age, 40. That’s when Moses chose him to be a spy and promised him a reward for his effort. Now, 45 years later, he is ready to occupy that promised land. He says, “I’m as strong now as I was then!” (Joshua 14:6-13)
It’s never too late to finish what you started!
It may be too late to enjoy the rewards of accomplishment over a longer period of time, but knowing that you have reached the point of success can be just as important as wearing those laurels for decades. You set your mind to the task, identify a goal, made a plan, and plug your way to the finished line.
Have you ever wanted to learn to do something? How about finishing something? What’s on your bucket list? Did you ever want to travel to someplace special? Are you in the career that you really want to spend 40 years at, or is there something you would enjoy better to satisfy all your yearnings and still provide for your family?
Hint: Sometimes it’s best to adjust your desires to what makes you a better person!
I’m just a few weeks past my 63rd birthday. A decade ago I reached the end of an IT career. I moved where God sent me and it was impossible to find a job in the money making career I enjoyed. Yes. Computers can be fun! So. I re-invented myself. Finished an advanced degree and started teaching online college. Love it!
I’m not sure what the future holds, in total, but I do know my vision is not dimmed with age. There are things to accomplish. There’s a victory to be gained. Even if it’s in my backyard!