I’m standing in front of Steve as he’s trying to read (I’m obviously being very annoying), peering over the top of his book, trying to get my face in the brightest light from his reading lamp, as I describe what I think the lines on the sides of my chin look like:
Like the face on puppets…no…marionettes…no…
Like the face on the dummies that ventriloquists use.
Yes. That’s it.
The look on his face tells me he’s worried there may be a trick question coming soon, and that he needs to think carefully about his response.
These lines that start at the corners of my lips and move down my face don’t appear to be lines that are easily removed or covered up.
Sigh.
If you remember typewriters, 8-track tapes, a TV with only 3 channels and no clicker, and the never-wear-jeans-to-church rule, you know we’re in a new season of life.
We’re entering, or have entered, that chapter in life when earlier decisions seem to haunt us. (For Pete’s sake, why did I not use more face moisturizer?)
And when it comes to issues of more significance than facial cream, our ability to make a difference appears to be held back by age, health, or the “it’s too late” syndrome. “It’s too late” feels like a true statement.
Of course, those haunting decisions aren’t saved only for those who are eligible for the AARP card. No. Even if you still haven’t hit the big 50, there were choices made that you wish would have been different. Decisions that weigh heavy on your heart. Again, “It’s too late” feels like a true statement.
If only I had…
Done differently. Showed up differently. Used different words. Made a different choice.
If only I had…before now when it’s too late.
This time of year – saying Good-bye! to 2023 and Welcome! to 2024 — offers a good time to think sensibly and remember …
None of our past experiences prevent us from living fully now – when we know better. God didn’t get up and leave us when we made that wrong decision. He’s still a God who loves us, has good things for us, and is cheering us on.
Our age doesn’t make us irrelevant.
It’s never ever too late to dream.
And it certainly isn’t too late to make a difference.
Health may really keep you from doing things you want to do. But it doesn’t keep you from doing something.
Your home, your relationships, may feel tired and empty. Then be the first to reach out reconnect. Be the influencer of good and create something different.
Who said that dreams are only for the young? Of course they aren’t!
Do something.
Do something different today that creates a richer, more abundant, different life for you tomorrow.
How about if this year we choose to show up and do what we can. With all our limitations, past experiences, dreams, and hopes for a better tomorrow.
And then…
That dream that keeps tugging away in the corners of your mind? What if you pull it out of the corner and start considering it. Brush it off, turn it around, and decide what it can become.
Save the pennies. Take the class. Write a paragraph a day. Make the new recipe. Cut your hair. Try walking 3 times a week. Make the call. Say you’re sorry. Show up.
Do something today that creates your better tomorrow.
In a short time from now,
Instead of If only I had…
You will say, I did.
“As long as you are too attached to your past,
you negate what God wants to do in your future.
Learn from yesterday, don’t live in it.”
(Tony Evans, Tony Evans Study Bible)
“Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert; waters will flow where there had been none.” (Isaiah 43:19 The Voice translation)
