Life Happens Daily

Driving home from the veterinary clinic where I dropped off Gunny for an X-ray, I realized how much of life I have left. My intent is to make it to triple digits…yes, 100, here I come! That means I have a life span of another 33+ years to go. I’m not sure what those last few years will be like. Will we have flying cars? Live in outer space? Could all diseases be wiped out by then? I wonder, will I still enjoy living in the farm country, or will I be in the far-off wild space as I truly desire?

Then, I thought, what will I have to offer?

My IT career is behind me. Pastoring is still on my horizon. Blogging? Sure. Podcast? It’s coming. Online digital courses? Thinking that one through. Is there another career before me? Who Knows?!!? I will probably need to earn more money because expenses are sure getting higher and my stable budget will not sustain that kind of future. Have you priced cars? My 2003 Dodge Truck is nearly 3 times more expensive in the 18 years since I bought it. Our first house was only $12,000. My first apartment (1972) was $95 a month – today the same apartment easily goes for $1,500 per month and now you have to pay utilities!

Well, enough talk about what was, is, and how frightfully expensive the future will be.

How will I survive until I’m ready? The Key? Life Happens Daily!

Adjusting to Daily Life

What’s My Goal? Where Am I Headed? Do I Have A Plan? There’s an old saying that says something like:

If you don’t know where you are going, then any place will do.

The root of this is probably found in Lewis Carroll’s book, “Alice in Wonderland.” Alice was asking about a direction, and when she had no clue where she was going, she was told it matters little which way she went. Her reply? As long as I get somewhere! Of course, the comeback was along the line that you’ll get somewhere as long as you walk long enough.

What it takes to make it until tomorrow, or next year, is probably the same thing we need to make it to our future. Goal. Planning. Doing. Adjusting, tweaking, restating our goals, and set our sails for the future. This is often a daily process. Why? Just like the wind in our sails, life happens daily.

Here’s a thought about sails, and I know so very little about it. You seldom get to go the way you want, you have to adjust your sails to the prevailing winds and zig-zag your way forward.

My auto accident back in May changed my aging perspective. Retirement was in view, but our financial goals did not include replacing an automobile just yet, and what we had was a pleasure to drive! Have you priced them lately??? At 225,000 miles we would not hesitate to take our Ford Flex across the country, just as my Dodge truck with 350k miles makes the same statement. Now we are looking at the process of choosing something different, wanting to be smart about paying for it and adjusting our budget accordingly. And, my strained back is still complaining while I continue to get treatment. And, we are trying to live on a single-vehicle…which is tough to do!

Now, take a similar scenario 20 years into the future. How will you adapt to a future age and environment? Constantly adjusting our plan to match reality is necessary.

Here’s Another Thought: Look at a tree stump. You can tell much about the challenges of each year by the rings that show the growth or lack thereof.

Reaching the End

We are not sure how old Paul (Saul) was when he began his ministry for Christ. He was schooled in the Hebrew law at the feet of Gamaliel but then spent up to 14 years after his conversion getting prepared for his ministry. To who? None other than the remainder of the world: “…to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. (Acts 9:15). From Damascus to Jerusalem, and back to his home in Tarsus, Paul was in a training mindset to prepare for reaching other cultures, provinces, and countries. We don’t know how long his ministry lasted, but there came a time, maybe even premature in his personal plan, but one day his ministry ended.

For I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
(2 Timothy 4:6 KJV)

How did he rationalize his calling to his present situation? I’m not sure. Perhaps he had done all he knew and God gave him peace about his final days. Again, I’m not sure.

At some point, if we don’t face a tragic ending, we all reach a time when we realize life is coming to a close and it’s time to be at peace with our ending. That may be a few years in the making, but knowing we’ve reached the end of health and usefulness, anything we experience longer is just filling space.

Then we look around, behind and before us. Will we be remembered? How will someone remember us? By our personality? Accomplishments? Family?

What’s Your Legacy?

In more ways than you can shake a stick at, Paul left a legacy that is still impacting all of us today. It’s not about fortune or fame, rather, it’s about making a difference in lives for generations to come.

• Paul wrote letters – a public treatise of teaching, training, correction, praise, and full of history. Some like their words to be private. Me? I blog, preach, teach, and communicate aloud all the time.
• Paul left a new crop of ministry extenders – people he had reached, trained, commissioned, challenged, and put into places of ministry.
• Paul gave strength instead of leaving a weakened ministry behind. His understanding of the Law and Christ gave him perspective of building a framework of growth.

I think of those later year ministers (before our time) and recall Spurgeon, Sunday, Wesley, Bunyan…this is a long list! Depending on your theological position, you may be interested in understanding where these and others are found, and to what group they belonged, and when their years of impact were felt. [Click Here]

In my modern years, I’ve enjoyed following and reading after a litany of names that cannot be identified casually. One writer, and a preacher/pastor/minister, has written a hundred books, perhaps, but now he’s facing a health challenge and all he does is simply ask for prayer. [Click Here]

Then, I think, what’s my legacy? Yours? You may say you are young and that’s a far-off place and time to think about. True. Remember, however, your destination is arrived at by the life you live every single day. It’s never too late until it is to plan for your legacy. Remember: Life Happens Daily!