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Jeremiah 1:7 – But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you." (NRSV)
My youngest son was born about a week after my ordination; at the end of this summer, he will be legally able to vote! I look in the mirror and see grey starting to creep into my hair, and I realize that I'm no longer a "child", except to my own mother! To retort to the popular country song, I'm now both old enough to know better and old enough to care!
Now, the question is, has God got me in the place where I was supposed to be by this age? I mean, I consider some of the astonishing things that others have done in their youth. Craig Kielburger became a social activist at the age of 12. Malala Yousafzai was 15 when a Taliban militiaman shot her in the head because she was encouraging other girls in Afghanistan to get an education; she survived, and in 2014 (aged 17), she became the youngest-ever Nobel Laureate, sharing the Peace Prize with another youth education activist from India. When Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, the ensuing kerfuffle provoked a 26-year-old pastor to take up the charge for equal rights for all people in the United States, regardless of colour, religion, or creed. That youthful pastor's name was Martin Luther King, Jr.
Did I miss something?
Did I miss something that I was being called to, telling myself and God, "I'm too young to do anything like that?"
Maybe.
And now, at 44, sore knees and all, am I too old to start something?
Definitely not!
Abraham was 75 when he was called to follow the Lord. Zechariah was supposedly in his 60s when he was told that his wife would bear a son who would be the herald for the Messiah. Julia Child was 49 when she published her first cookbook. C.S. Lewis was 51 when The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe came out, which was yet another Christian allegory. And Lois Prater was 81 when she opened the King's Garden orphanage in the Philippines.
We're never too young.
We're never too old.
God can always be doing something with us right now, wherever we are.
Prayer: Loving God, help us to stop putting roadblocks in the way of Your plans, and to stop listening to our own excuses as to why we can't follow the path that You have laid out for us. If all that we have and are comes from You and should be used for the welfare of Your world, then show us how we can use it for You. After all, an old plum is a prune, an old grape is a raisin, and old grape juice can be good wine. Age is a state of mind, and nothing compared to Your glory. Amen.
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Good start, Steve! You write well.
A good one Steve. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for a very meaningful message.
Your devotional encouraged me today. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Yeah! I like what you said.
(B.C.)
Good morning Steve:
An excellent Devotional.
Amen Steve. I didn’t get and train my first horse until I was sixty!
Blessings.
Thank you, Steve! I needed to hear those words today. I’m facing some job uncertainties, but am looking to The Lord for his new direction.
I believe we should first pray for wisdom on how to acquire God’s blessings so that we can then provide to the less fortunate.
And so it is that he picks us up when we fall down and in His strength we can do mighty things. My youngest daughter has had many falls along the way and our prayers continue.
Thanks for this Steve. As I was reading I remember saying one time to my Session (when I was young) “one is either too young or too old” which of course is a pessimistic attitude. Love the examples.
What a wonderfully encouraging lesson for us oldies. Thank you for making me feel that my life has not been a waste just because I haven’t been mentioned in the newspapers, and that the Lord may yet have something planned for my life (in fact, of course He does!). Thanks for sharing. God bless.
That was a good reminder to let us know God is never finished with us.
But I shouldn’t be surprised as you always had the gift of giving a great sermon.
Thank you Steve, this is a great message.
Blessings.
I think that was a great devotional today.
You’re only in your 40’s….
I’m now in my 60’s and retired and find God is opening all kinds of doors.
As well, I spend more time in meditation, prayer, reading and just “being”.
Thanks for reminding us that our aging bodies isn’t all there is.
Dear Steve;
Thank you so much four wonderful words. I believe this too. I’m 68 going on 18 and have had broken bones and replacement surgery and I say “Yeah God” let’s get healed again and carry on for you. The race isn’t over yet.
Praise be to the Lord, Amen!!
Dear Rev. Steve Boose,
This is a tremendous devotional. Thanks.
You make me curious about what you would still like to do. What is God asking you to do? What are you good at? What are your talents? What do you like to do?
MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOREVER AND EVER.
KEEP WRITING.
Greetings to you, Steve,
Thank you for your devotional today, and you got it right. I am a PK, preacher’s kid, and was a Presbyterian preacher’s wife. All this to tell share with you that at the age of 91 I still am blessed to have my strong alto voice that the Lord gifted me with, and sing in our ladies chorale and our mixed ensemble. We never are too old or too young, as you discovered. So may your blessings continue as you do what you were called to do.
(California)
Dear Steve,
Yes, well that was a word for me today. I am nearly 61 and still seeking God’s direction for what to do next.
I am in the process of moving. This all seems a bit mad to me at my age, but when God says: Move! you just have to go with the flow, which I am attempting to do.
I just wish I was better at discerning what it is we are moving on to, and why.
I am duly reprimanded today for settling for less when there is still more to be done.
Hi Steve,
A very good devotion indeed, as an old person, I think about that quite often. Thank you for writing.
Blessings.
Hi Steve, Good to hear from you!
I really appreciate these devotions. Always thought-provoking. So nice to see you writing. Another one with challenge and promise. Thank you.
Dear Steve;
Thank you for a most timely devotional. Amen to your prayer. Keep writing.