David, version 5.0

This month is my birthday and I am turning 50 or as I prefer to say, Five-Oh! (You know, like “Book ‘em Dano”) I guess that makes me “middle aged.” (Especially since I prefer the old McGarrett to the new one!) At least it used to. I am quite certain that “middle age” starts much later now than a generation ago! According to popular culture, I’m ripe for what is known as a “mid-life” crisis. That’s when you start wearing open-collared disco shirts that reveal large gold medallions, (that certainly sounds like a crisis to me!), trade in your SUV for a convertible coupe and begin trying in every way possible to re-capture your youth by re-living your glory days, (even if you really never had any!) A mid-life crisis is the result of a violent fellow named “Self Evaluation” who inevitably comes around during this stage of life to kick you in the stomach with the cold hard fact that you haven’t accomplished the things you always thought you would and hit you over the head with the thought that now, it may just be too late.


But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Moses was 80 when God called him to lead Israel to the promised land and Joshua was probably about the same age when he kicked the Canaanites out of it. Caleb was the oldest guy in Canaan and he asked for and got the toughest assignment. With God, every day is an adventure! And with Him, all things are possible! So I probably don’t need to get a gold chain or trade in anything, (although I did get a different truck last month …and it was gold….hmmmm,) I just need to trade in worldly thinking (caterpillar identity) for godly thinking (butterfly identity.) Instead of listening to Mr. Evaluation, who I have a sneaking suspicion is really a clever disguise for the devil, why not listen to God? He says about me, (and you) that He has made us “competent” as ministers of the new covenant; He encourages us not to throw away our confidence and He promises us that we can do all things in His strength. When you serve the Lord, you never come to the point when you are useless. You can always pray, always sing, (even if only in your heart!) always smile, and always encourage someone else with your story. I may have more days already in the book than I have left, but so what! I am connected to the timeless One who is more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond, all I can ask, think or imagine according to His power that is at work…. in me.