photos by: JODIE BRIM CREATIVE
I’m just laying it all out from the get-go: I hit sixty a few weeks ago! Even hearing my inner voice say it sends shockwaves down my spine.
If you’re not there, it sounds ancient. (Baby, trust me when I tell you it comes fast and furious!)
If you have passed it, the angst sounds ridiculous. Just remember, I’ve never been here!
To say I struggled into this birthday is putting it mildly. I never imagined myself at 60! It SOUNDS and SEEMS so…let’s just say…“mature.”
But, after I laid my head to the pillow a few nights before that significant day, I sat straight up in my bed at 3:00 a.m.! It frustrated me that I couldn’t doze back to sleep. The longer I lay wide-eyed, the more I recognized God was dealing with me AND the crazy talk inside my head! (You realize, don’t you, that He overhears our every thought?)
Through my mind’s eye, God ran a reel recalling layer upon layer of blessing. He reminded me of ALL THE THINGS I enjoy now that prove far grander than anything I ever dreamed.
A THANKSGIVING PARADE of memories danced right through the darkness! The clock struck 5:30 a.m. by the time I recounted all the good things.
I sipped coffee against the fatigue yet felt overwhelmed with great gratitude and even excitement about the future. My distorted perspective truly transformed overnight.
It’s foolish to lament getting older when God’s absolute goodness has chased me down every single day of my living! SO MANY situations sought to bury me, yet God used those very experiences to exponentially multiply my strength and resilience. Yes, I got knocked down, but I never stayed down!
I thank my JESUS that I’m healthy and wealthy in all the ways that matter most. I’ve traveled the world to see the grandest and the lowliest. I’ve witnessed enough to know I have what the grandest cannot buy and what the lowliest cannot even imagine. I have everything I need and, truly, everything I want! My God is better to me than I deserve!
So, I’m coming out of the huddle ready to leave it all on the field in this final quarter of living. I know who I am, why I’m here and where I’m going.
God has given me the enormous privilege of getting where people are, feeling their struggles, then helping them rise from the ashes. He allows me to help folks find their truest selves and their deepest purpose. From there, as every part of their being awakens, they truly find their reason for running this race!
What about you? Do you know WHO you are? Do you know WHY you’re here? Do you know WHERE you’re headed?
These questions keep us up at night but are really not as difficult as they seem. Just look in the right place…to the ONE who created you, pulsates purpose into your very being, then leads you to your forever home!
Don’t waste another year, not even another day! You were made for greatness, and it’s time to start living your best purpose! In the words of a good friend, “Don’t die old! Die empty!”
I know I’ve got SO MUCH MORE to accomplish for God’s Great Name! He’s dreamed BIG for me, and I’m leaving it all on the field. I’ll slide into home base KNOWING my life here mattered. I’ve GOT to! My generations depend on it! The generations of those I lead depend upon it! OUR generations are entirely too important to settle for less!
May it be said of us as we cross our finish line, “I glorified You on earth [LORD] by completing down to the last detail what You assigned me to do.” (John 17:4) THIS is success!
Don’t start “this year” or “this month.” START TODAY! There’s no one like you. Make sure you leave your mark because…you’ve got one to leave! For comments or prayer, please contact Dr. Lanier at HopeCommunityChurch.tv.
