#62

 

Start the parade.  I am 62 today.

Yep.  I am now officially eligible to draw social security.  Wow.  What a milestone right?  Although I am not going to start drawing on it yet, it is quite strange to know that I could.  I still remember when I was eager to get my driver's license, graduating from high school and other milestones in my life.  

Now I am here.

It has been quite a life so far.  I am in a good place now although I never dreamed I would be where I am today.  Life takes many twists and turns along the way.  We make decisions which affect our lives.  Some good.  Some bad.  It all works together to where we are today.

When I reflect on my 62 years I see the mistakes I have made and the regrets I have but I also see the amazing things I have experienced in my life.  I have met some good people and I have suffered from the terrible people.  The difficult people have definitely taught me lessons.  I have learned that having the right people in your life makes all the difference.  If there is one life lesson I could tell you is that make sure you are surrounded by good people.  We waste too much time with unnecessary drama that some people bring into our lives.  Also, even if they are family it doesn't mean you have to have them in your lives either.  Being related to someone doesn't obligate you to have a relationship with them. 

Another wisdom to share is to find the right person to spend your life with and for the right reasons.  When we are young and in love we have these ideals of what it means but you want to marry the person who will love you regardless of your looks, money or any material possessions.  You need the person who will love YOU.  Too many young people fall in love for looks, sex and passion but there comes a time when all that fades away so you need to have a relationship that isn't based on that.  Believe me, as I sit here as a 62 year-old man, I don't look or feel the same as I did when I was 18.  This is part of life and I wouldn't want anyone who only loved the outside of me.

At 62 I am still working.  I did retire from a previous job but the reality is that a retirement annuity isn't enough to live on.  I figure I will be working until I get to the point where I can't anymore.  Fortunately I am still able and have been successful in my jobs.  I feel like I am at a good place right now.  

You have to appreciate your life.  I wasted too many years sad and unhappy until I made some life changing decisions many years ago to decide to be happy and stop worrying about the unfulfilled expectations of others to be happy.  We only have one life to live so we need to make our lives the best that we can make it.  We don't have to be miserable and we don't have to chase the approval of others.  

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." — Abraham Lincoln

When You Feel Alone

Have you ever felt like you were going through something alone? You didn’t feel like anyone understood?

We have felt this way at some point in our lives.

There are even times when we wonder if even God is with us during the dark times we walk through.

There are many examples in the Bible of people who felt alone but learned otherwise.

• Elijah: After his victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah fled from Jezebel, felt he was the only faithful person left, and sat alone in a cave, wishing to die.
• David: Despite being king, David described himself as "lonely and afflicted" while fleeing enemies (Psalm 25:16) and was betrayed by his own son, Absalom.
• Job: While surrounded by comforters who misunderstood him, Job felt alone in his suffering and felt God was not answering his cries (Job 30:20).
• Jesus: Experienced the deepest isolation—40 days in the desert (temptation), in the Garden of Gethsemane (loneliness in prayer), and crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
• Moses: Felt isolated while fleeing to the desert and leading a complaining nation.
• Jeremiah: Known as the "weeping prophet," he sat alone because of the intensity of God's message (Jeremiah 15:17).
• Hagar: Wandered alone in the wilderness of Beersheba, feeling abandoned (Genesis 21:14).
• Paul: Suffered loneliness in his ministry, particularly when he was abandoned during his trials.

The important thing to note about all of these people is that didn’t have a cheering section or praise team getting them through it. They didn’t have friends posting praying hands in their Facebook comments.

With God you have the majority.

Romans 8:31 tells us that “…if God is for us, who can be against us.”

Being a friend of God is more powerful and effective than 100 people who offer their “thoughts and prayers”. While some might be sincere, no one is in the fire with you in the same way that God is. 

We may feel alone but we are not.

"When you feel alone, May the stars remind you how God lightens up the darkest moments."

Encouragement during Crisis

This week at a moment when I needed encouraging words I got this: 

If it have a start it will have an end, stay strong and keep pushing.

It set me back a bit because I don’t want this current situation to end badly. I’m not sure these words were as comforting as they were meant to be. I have come to the conclusion that I just need to survive this without a need for comforting words.

People are more excited to pray for a need when it is fresh and new but if it lingers and there is no miracle people get bored. Unfortunately when it affects you directly, you have to push through it every day whether the miracle comes or not.

God can deliver regardless.

There is a story in the Old Testament where David’s own men turned on him and wanted to stone him when things were looking bad.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)

David proactively drew strength from his relationship with God, recalling past victories and seeking divine guidance. David did not wait for encouragement but immediately sought God through prayer.

When can’t always rely on encouragement from others or expect others to have magical words of comfort. It is our personal responsibility to maintain our spiritual resilience to preserve even when surrounded by crisis.