Ready?

You've probably heard the saying: "life is short, play hard". Or maybe you've heard the christianized version: "life is short, pray hard". I suppose you could make the argument that the second one is well meaning enough, but the older I get the more I'm drifting away from this line of thinking.

I turned 40 this week, and while on the one hand I can't believe I'm already 40, on the other hand, looking back, there's a lot of water under the bridge. There are a lot of things I've done, places I've been, people I've known, lessons I've learned, and crazy things I've seen. From a life expectancy standpoint I'm roughly half way through, but for at least the first 1/3 (probably more like the first half) of this first half, I was literally still developing in every aspect of my person.

My Grandmother is about to turn 97. That means that when she was my age the year was 1962 and the Beatles hadn't even come to America yet. Do you realize how much the world has changed since then? Stop for a minute and let that sink in. A whole lot of life has taken place since then. I feel like I've lived a full life already, and yet there's a decent chance that I have that much again ahead of me.

I love hearing stories of people who start businesses and ministries and embark on whole new chapters of their lives when they're in their 40's, 50's, and beyond. We've somehow bought into the lie that life happens in your 20's and 30's and then it's all downhill from there. Sadly, for a lot of people, that how it tends to play out.

The difference seems to be a question of whether of not we stay usable.

When we think about physical readiness, we think of things like flexibility, mobility, or muscle tone. To stay ready we can do things like stretching, exercising, and eating well. What about mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness? How do we stay ready and usable in those areas?

There are certainly plenty of things we can do to stay ready. Things like reading scripture, spending time in God's presence, and staying engaged in good community; but I think equally as important are the things we don't do. Don't get bitter. Don't grow resentful. Don't let dissapointments give us a victim mentality. Don't get lazy and give in to temptation.

From this standpoint I think we might do well to view life as something more like a marathon than a sprint. To finish a marathon you need to adopt a sustainable pace. (Have you heard the one about the tortoise and the hare?) Starting well is important, but finishing well is where it's really at, so stay in the game!

"Life is long...stay ready"!!