Theme: Rewards beyond our expectations

Verse:  Hebrews 11:1  

My mother-in-law, Dorathe, passed away last week at the age of 94. She, and her husband Doyle, were the best in-laws a man could ever ask for. Her passing was very sad for all, but her celebration of life services gave us time to reflect on the tremendous impact she had on our family and the community of Le Mars, Iowa.

One of her famous quotes is, “Getting old is not for sissies!” That Dorathe-ism is a perfect start for this week’s devotional.

As we get older, we realize that nothing lasts forever (even if we don’t want to admit it aloud). Various parts of our body start to fail, and we have to work just a little bit harder to do physical things that came so easily when we were in our 20s. But with that age comes a lot of wisdom and through that we often find new things to accomplish, new finish lines to reach.

Regardless of age and our shortcomings, each one of us has something to contribute to our social groups and doing so is part of God’s plan for us. If you are a runner, perhaps it is to show how to do negative splits on a long run. If you are a fisherman, maybe it is teaching a grandchild the serenity of being out on a lake.  Maybe it is sitting with someone and being a good listener. Or maybe it is being an example of a great faith walk for follow-on generations.

Yogi Berra is attributed with saying, “It ain’t over, ‘till it’s over.” (Referring to the 1973 New York M-E-T-S, who rose from last place on August 30th to win their Division and eventually made it to the World Series). While a funny saying, it is very true.

What is your next finish line? This week think about some finish lines you want to cross and make some plans to get there.

Have a great week!

Adapted from They Will Run and Not Grow Weary by David Alan Black