By Kevin Thumpston, lead pastor at Watershed Fellowship, Lexington, SC
What if I were to tell you that your best years may not be in the past but just around the corner? Would you believe me? Well, don’t just believe me, listen to some seniors that accomplished great things in their golden years.
Gladys Burrill, age 92, ran five marathons in the past seven years. Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 65. Teiichi Igarashi climbed Mt. Fuji every year since his 87th birthday. He became the first centurion to reach Fuji’s peak. At age 76, John Glenn orbited the earth 137 times in the Discovery space shuttle, and what about Peter Roget, who published his thesaurus of synonyms and antonyms at age 73. Let’s not forget, Grandma Moses, one of the country’s most famous artists. She traded in her embroidery needles at age 76 for a paintbrush and took the world by storm.
Psalm 92:12–14 encourages us that when we walk with the Lord, we can flourish and bear fruit well into our old age.
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”
– (ESV)
You may not orbit the earth or paint the next masterpiece, but you can walk next door to encourage your neighbor or help paint a bedroom with your grandchildren. Keep stepping out in faith to live life to the fullest. Each step will lead to the next step. Sometimes the smallest investment can reap the greatest return. Though your stamina may not be what it was, you can still wake up and ask the Lord to draw near and to use you for his glory. Here are four suggestions to prime the pump:
- Encourage those around you. You can minister right where you are for God’s glory. Be a blessing to others in word and deed. Your kindness may be just what that person needs.
- Learn something new or deepen your knowledge of something you are already passionate about. Be a life-long learner.
- Invest in the next generation. Give your time and expertise away to someone younger. Be a life-long investor in people.
- Start or attend a prayer group or a Bible study to build up others in the faith. Be a spiritual mother or father to the young in faith.
As one of my 84 year old neighbors says, “It’s good to be vertical today.” Vertical to look up to heaven and give thanks and vertical to step toward someone with love.
