Several weeks ago, I had lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in years. He had just turned eighty years old. His mind was as sharp as ever—witty, inquisitive, and focused. He was also a great listener. When he did speak, wisdom dripped from his lips like honey.
a sermon series on the topic. His creative team produced the video above to promote the series.
In a point of genuine humility but uncertainty he asked me, “Mike, do you think I have anything left to contribute? Are my best days over?” Tears welled up in his eyes.
I admit, his question caught me off-guard. I thought to myself, Here I am with one of the wisest men I have ever met. He is a living treasure. I would pay for the privilege of sitting at his feet and listening to his stories. And he is asking me whether or not he has anything left to contribute? I was flabbergasted.
I leaned in, grasped his hand with mine, and said, “Jimmy, listen to me carefully: your best days are ahead of you. I am not saying this just because I like you—and I do like you—but because it is the truth. I can prove it to you.”
I then began to make an argument that I first learned in The Noticer by Andy Andrews. In the book, Jones, the personification of wisdom, makes six points to Willow, a seventy-six year old lady, who had given up hope that she had anything left to contribute. (see chapter 6, pp. 83–85).
- God has a purpose for every single person.
- You won’t die until that purpose is fulfilled.
- If you are still alive, then you haven’t completed what you were put on earth to do.
- If you haven’t completed what you were put on earth to do, then your very purpose hasn’t been fulfilled.
- If your purpose hasn’t been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life is still ahead.
- You have yet to make your most important contribution.
Jones goes on to say,
If the most important part of your life is ahead of you, then even during the worst times, one can be assured that there is more laughter ahead, more success to look forward to, more children to teach and help, more friends to touch and influence. There is proof of hope . . . for more.” (p. 85)
My friend, Jimmy, sat back in his chair and was silent for a full minute. I could tell he was taking it all in. Finally, he said, “Then I better get busy. It sounds like I have a lot of work to do.”
You may be old. You may be sick. You may be divorced. Your kids may not be speaking to you. You may be out of work. You may be broke. You may be discouraged.
But you’re not dead yet.
And that’s proof that you still have not completed what you were put on earth to do.
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Love this! My favorite quote is … While there is life, there is hope. -Cicero
I've always like this quote, but it has more meaning now after almost dying from severe injuries.
Now I try to … Live well – Laugh often – Love much!
There's nothing like almost dying to make you appreciate life. I came close to death myself when my gall bladder ruptured in 2001. It took them four days to figure out what was wrong with me. First, they thought it was a heart attack, then pneumonia, then some weird infection. Meanwhile, I was getting sicker and sicker.
Thankfully, they figured it out, performed emergency surgery, and solved the problem. It took me for weeks to recover, but I eventually made it and was so grateful to be alive. It made me refocus on my purpose for living.
Wow. Almost the exact same thing happened to me 24 years ago. Except for 1) It was the appendix and 2) I Just stayed at home in bed thinking I was sick. When we finally went to the hospitcal I fainted after about 5 minutes. Woke up in post op.
You are right. That scared the crap out of me and made me a different person on the other side.
Oh so true!! Thank you for this great post.
Missy Buchanan
Author, Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body: Spiritual Encouragement for Older Adults
I absolutely agree that I am not dead yet because I have purpose to fulfill. Thanks for this post.
This is powerful. Something we should all take time to really reflect on and embrace. I think there is also a hidden gem in here too. A reminder to us that even those who we look up to, those who are wise and have so much to teach us… they too experience insecurity and fear (just like the rest of us). We're all human, we all have a purpose and sometimes we need someone to remind us of that. :)
So true. I have actually had similar conversations with older leaders. I’ll probably need the reminder myself—when I get older. ;-)
Daniel,
That's an great observation…I think I we often assume that older wiser people are more secure and less fearful.
Any thoughts on things we can do now in life so that when we're 'old and wise' we no longer struggle with fear but live in constant peace?
Can we ever get to a point where we are secure enough in our spiritual identity that fear is gone and stays gone until we meet our maker?
Two part reply….
Part 1:
I don’t think an absence of fear is attainable or really something we’d even want to be fully void of. Same of insecurities. Both can be used for a great deal of good. Certain fears can motivate and help keep us from danger. Certain fears can give victory and testimony once overcome. A certain amount of insecurity is good too, in my opinion, because insecurities can be a balance to over confidence and help keep us humble. I’m not saying we shouldn’t strive to be confident, just saying we should recognize and use our insecurities to help us rather than to limit us. If we were fully secure in everything, we might be tempted into thinking we can handle things on our own without a need for God and others.
Part 2:
It’s when fear and insecurity are out of balance, causing us to be paralyzed, that we have an issue. One of the top things Jesus spoke to was fear (do not be afraid). I don’t think he meant it is possible to remove moments of fear but rather in those moments we have to overcome by having trust in Him. If it were easy then I doubt Jesus would have spoke to it so frequently. I think the key is to just remember His words and do our best in every situation to live it out, realizing that we aren't perfect but in Him we can find our strength.
Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." We overcome fear by looking up for our redemption draws near.
Part 2:
It’s when fear and insecurity are out of balance, causing us to be paralyzed, that we have an issue. One of the top things Jesus spoke to was fear (do not be afraid). I don’t think he meant it is possible to remove moments of fear but rather in those moments we have to overcome by having trust in Him. If it were easy then I doubt Jesus would have spoke to it so frequently. I think the key is to just remember His words and do our best in every situation to live it out, realizing that we aren't perfect but in Him we can find our strength.
What an incredible post. The book sounds great. I LOVE those six points. Thank you for sharing this, it really blessed me today – it motivates me to go now and make my most important contribution yet. :)
Awesome. Then I accomplished what I set out to do in the post!
I remember one conversation I had with Debbie Christian (whose husband, Van Arden, was killed in the 1999 plane crash with Payne Stewart) after her husband's death.
She was wrestling with why he was gone and she was still here. At some point after his death someone sent her a card with Acts 13:36 on it. She quoted it to me, "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, and was buried with his fathers."
She then said, "If I'm still alive my work is not yet finished. He still has work for me to do. So when I wake up in the morning, and I'm still alive, I ask, "Okay, God, what I am to do today?"
Her words have always stuck with me. And then when I read Jones' words in The Noticer (page 83-85) I knew God was trying to impress upon me a very important message.
To keep me focused, I created my own little "mantra."
At any given moment I will say:
“Look at your feet.” (Where am I? Whom am I with? What am I doing?)
“I am here.”
“God is with me.”
“Now what are you asking of me, Lord?”
Great post. Great reminder.
Thank you, Gail, for those questions! They are a great follow-up to this article!
P.S. I hope it's okay–I copied and pasted them into a file for my own use.
Thanks, Gail. I have heard you ask yourself, me, and the girls numerous times. It is VERY helpful. You always seem to know exactly when to ask these questions!
It gives me peace to read this because I often feel the pressure to get my life all ironed out while I am still young and 'stil have time'.
It takes faith to trust that The Lord will use our story in spite of our brokenness…in fact He tends to use stories of brokenness more than those of people who 'have it all together'.
Why then do we strive so hard to have it all together instead of trusting that He will use our story regardless of our failures and shortcomings?
Great post Mike!
Mike, thanks so much for this very timely post, especially just after Thanksgiving. After having a day to express our thanks, we can reflect on what we still have to do – not from a daily to-do list of earthly, temporal tasks, but rather from the point of view of "why has God put us here, at this moment, in this place – for what purpose. For it is in the answer to and discovery of this question that allow us to have meaning, to leave a legacy and to live out the purpose that God has created us for. Thanks Mike, this is wonderful.
I had not correlated this with Thanksgiving, but that is an excellent point. Thanks!
This really makes me think. I had dinner at my mother-in-law's last night because she insisted on preparing this year for Thanksgiving as we have taken over the past few years. We did so in an effort to relieve her of the work that she had been doing every year of her adult life. We thought we were doing a favor (and for awhile she agreed), but really it gave her complete joy to prepare for our family. The love I saw coming from her last night was diffferent. She was so happy to hear her granddaughters say "this is delicious, Grandma!" I loved it! The simple act of nourishing her family made this 82 year old happy. I will think of her evry meal I make and strive to feel that joy even when making dinner feels like a chore. So, yes there is ALWAYS a reason you are still here!
Michael,
Your dear and great friend Jimmy has something more rare than, and I believe a true requisite to wisdom, True Humility!
The good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do continues until we meet Him face to face. If we have too much to do to allow us to get to His work, we're doing the wrong things. If we have too much time and can't figure out His work for us, it is time to sit down with the Word, prayer, and just open our eyes to what is around us.
Remember Phillipians 4:8-9 — "…and DO IT"!
Thanks for the great reminder. We all have a "next-thing" to do and we can do it with everything we have. Let's do it!
What a great post! We all need that encouragement- not only seniors byt all of us. I often wonder what God has in store for me but since I'm still alive there must be something.
Michael,
This was an excellent post and a great reminder of the value of each one of us.. as well as the challenge to keep thinking positively, keep hoping, keep loving and keep giving.
I can't really write more because… “… I better get busy. It sounds like I have a lot of work to do.”
My feisty uneducated 94-year old grandmother died two years ago. In the 1940s, she and her husband were led to Christ by the farmers next door. The whole family became Christians and spent their lives to telling others about the joy they'd found. She prayed for me every day of my life.
When she died, I wondered, "Who will pray for me now?" Even though my family is Christian, I missed Grandma's commitment.
At the funeral, the half-blind farm wife who first told my grandparents about Christ, came to me and said, “I want you to know I am praying for you every day.”
I wept with gratitude.
Elderly, infirm, and mentally ill people have an important mission for the Lord. Hold us up. Don't let us down.
–Gretchen Goldsmith, President, Rose Publishing
Greatchen,
I almost felt a tear in my eye:$
Blessings
Thank you for this, Michael. I believe what you said to Jimmy is absolutely true. In that very context, I have been watching my 92-year-old mom as her physical and mental abilities hasten their decline. There isn't much she can do, anymore, as moving around is so difficult, even signing a check is painful (which means letter-writing is virtually impossible), and she seems to be in the early stages of withdrawing from this world. I find myself wondering why God doesn't release His children, when they reach this stage: What purpose does my mom have left?
One possible answer that I roll around in my mind is that, in addition to leaving us here until our purpose is fulfilled, perhaps He leaves us until we have learned what we need to learn. I don't know whether that's true, or not, but the idea does motivate me to be as open to His teaching and to His transforming work in me as I possibly can!
Thanks. Needed that. I think there is a kind of senior malaise that can creep in very subtly and become a secret resignation, or even fatalism, when old dreams of youth begin to die. If new dreams aren't birthed for whatever days are ahead, then I'm just in the process of dying, no longer really living. I'm reminded of Moses' words as an old man in Psalm 90:12 from the NET Bible: "So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely." I want to "live wisely" all the way to the end, but I can't do that unless I come to grips with the fact that my days are "numbered" (NASB). I can't help but think of Garth and Hub in Second Hand Lions who died in their 90s flying a homemade bi-plane into a barn, but who "really lived". Your great post and all the comments are an encouragement today to decide to "really live."
Thank you
wow..that was right on time..thanks
Thank you, Michael, for this insightful , encouraging post. Your comments to your friend will live in his heart as a gift.
Endless blog posts and articles for writers preach similar themes. We need to think long-term: build a brand, establish a platform, propose not one book, but a series, etc. Sometimes that sounds almost more important than the quality of the writing, because we're told we cannot expect serious consideration without everything in place.
Yet even with the best skills and using every latest techniques, that process takes time. This seems to place an older writer at a disadvantage. Agree or disagree?
First, I believe that nothing triumphs great writing. This is the single most important thing you can focus on to build an audience.
I personally think that age is a state of mind. I have met younger writers who were reluctant to take advantage of social media. I have met older writers who have jumped in with both feet.
The bottom line is that the business of writing (as opposed to a hobby) is hard work. There are few shortcuts.
Thanks. I had a similar "awakening" recently while speaking with my Pastor. You can read more here if you wish. (http://drabbysplace.blogspot.com/2009/11/three-bl...
Again, thanks for your insights. Dr. Reynolds
Just excellent Mike. Wow, just think if you wouldn't have had much of an answer for him. That's why it's always a good idea to stay in tune with what people are feeling and what God communicates to us.
Thank you. You have absolutely no idea how much this was needed.
As you know from your running experience, a challenge makes preparation easier. When you know you've got a marathon coming in six weeks, you're more inclined to put in the road work. This post reminds us God isn't through with us yet. And, I'd like to think changing addresses, this world for the next, doesn't suggest we're done either. I like Billy Graham's simple instructions on serving the Lord faithfully, "search the Scriptures" and "pray without ceasing." Those two admonitions are easier to follow when you believe God is up to something good and you're about to be a part of the good.
I know this is probably really bad to say but the thought you've mentioned here is the only thing that keeps me going sometimes.
I don't think it is bad to say. I think it is brave and humble. Always keep that thought – we all have a purpose.
I agree with Carol. It's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes!
I use this concept with people regularly.
I didn't realize it was in The Noticer!
This is a wonderful post, Mike. One of your best… and that's saying something!
Thanks, Peter.
Love this! I think that's my favorite part of The Noticer.
I must admit–I'm only 28 years old. 29 in February. And sometimes (when I get discouraged) I wonder, "Why am I here?" Now granted, the more mature will say, "Ah stop it! Life's just starting for you! You're a baby!"
True. But even babies lose sight of their purpose.
Thanks Mike for this great…excuse me…GREAT POST!!!! I feel like your friend, "I better get busy. It sounds like I have a lot of work to do.”
Blessings!!
Great post. I know a lot of people who are living like they are already dead. This is a good wake-up call.
Yesterday, just four houses down from my in laws (in a very nice neighborhood), while we were laughing and "cutting up", unknown to us at the time, a man put a pistol to his head, pulled the trigger and ended his life on earth – on Thanksgiving Day. The world is hurting for the message you just delivered and the one that is contained in the great read, The Noticer. May the Lord put us in the right place at the right time, as he did you, to deliver this life sustaining message!
Wow. When people lose hope, they lose everything. With a little hope, all things become possible.
Just remember, the day is coming when death will be swallowed up in victory and life will be unending. God's absolute love–perfect, complete, and real–will be fully manifested, and every tear will be wiped away.
Michael, I have been thinking a lot about this very thing throughout this year — that as long as we have life, our life's mission has yet to unfold. Wow — you articulated my inmost thoughts. Not that we're the first to have had them, but they have been so vivid to me of late, and to see this mindset in black and white was very meaningful to me. I'd say, of all your posts, this is my favorite so far, because it is so true and so hope-filled, and if not for hope, we have very little. You gave your mentor friend the hope he has given you. What comes around goes around. I love how God works when He works through us!
As a quadriplegic, my mom struggled with – why and I still alive and what is the purpose God wants me to fulfill. She came to learn these truths in the following order:
1. her purpose (role) in the family was to pray for those of us too busy to pray for ourselves.
2. to learn something new everyday so she had to the tools to help and advise when others came to her, especially with a spiritual struggle.
3. to understand her greatest purpose on this planet was to live every day with Joy in God's Love.
4. to be the physical Joy of God's love on this planet for others.
Beautiful. This just proves that you can find purpose in any circumstance! Thanks for sharing this.
Brilliant post! I look forward to getting that book!
Great stuff, Mike…Lots of "food for thought."
Michael,
I want to simplify my earlier comment. What my mom taught was:
1. Accept God's will.
2. Understand God's will includes a purpose – then find it
3. Know everything has a purpose that manifests Joy
4. Become the Joy of God within the chosen purpose of being His physical manifestation as a human on this planet.
That 4th point is the biggest one of my personal journey because my mom would never have achieved it without my dad. He was the ultimate example of compassion and humility. The joyful caretaker.
Michael
Great observation. I would add that very often the things in life that have smashed us up along the way are exactly what give us more to share in our final years. Only through trials does knowledge become wisdom, does Sinai become Deuteronomy. I have a post on this on my blog if anyone's interested called "Knowledge and Wisdom." Like grapes and grain and even garlic, we were made to be crushed so that others can benefit. It's such a helpful concept to grasp, particularly for men. God takes Alpha Males and beats them up until He has Omega Males, like your friend.
Kind regards,
Mike Bull
Mike
Awesome, and thanks for sharing!
Wasn't Moses 80 when he saw the burning bush? Sometimes we need to have some wilderness time to be matured or aged so that we're up for God's purpose in our lives. It can feel like an awfully long wait though, especially if you know you have a calling in a certain area.
Yes, he was. He was 40 when he murdered the Egyptian and had to flee for his life. It looks like the end. It was only the beginning.
Did those who died eternally lost fulfill their purpose? Assuming it isn't God's purpose that anyone perish, then why did God allow them to die? It IS encouraging to have the thought "my best days are ahead" , but I think the 6-point logic may apply only to those who are in Christ. Or was that the assumed?
I love your message! So true. : )
MIke, This is an unbelievably important post. Thank you! I will be seeking permission to use part of this in my new book, "Fully Alive"
My recent post Opportunity knocks…but not always at the front door
Thanks, Ken. Coming from you, that means the world to me!
Thanks so much for this. It’s a good counterpoint to a statement I’ve been working on for some time, using the theme of God as creator of history. In this case one could say, “It’s the poorly written stories that end prematurely. God is not a poor craftsman. Ergo, your story isn’t over yet.”
Reading your post, I get the feeling this line of thought is on the right track. Thank you.
I recently just started a new journey in life and sooooooo many times have wondered, if I have started too late or perhaps just don't have enough time to accomplish all the incredible dreams and ideas God has put into my heart. Just like Jimmy said, "I better get to work!"