It’s hard to believe I will be turning 55 this year! I’m very grateful for the life God has given me so far and for all the days to come. However, I will admit that there are times when I stop to think about the days before me. It can seem the older you get, the less life you have to live. Or probably, it’s the pressure of less time left to do all you would like to do.
I was recently reminded, though, that God is not done with me yet! And if you are reading today, He’s not done with you either! This goes for every one of us no matter the age we are at this very moment. Each day is a precious gift not to be taken for granted.
Think about Abraham’s wife Sarah. When Abraham was called by God to set out for Canaan, he was 75 years old. We find out later that Sarah was around 10 years younger than him. Afterwards, when they had to travel to Egypt to escape a famine, the Pharaoh of the land mistakenly takes Sarah as one of his wives (you can read the story in Genesis 12). She was said to be very beautiful. Later, when Sarah was even older, the same scenario happens again when King Abimelech mistakenly takes Sarah as one of his wives (read this story in Genesis 20).
While this certainly inspires me to keep investing in taking care of myself and gives me confidence as I age, we know Sarah’s beauty was so much more than skin deep. God certainly saw this, I’m sure Abraham saw this, and perhaps, the kings who mistakenly took Sarah as their wife saw this too.
God had an even greater calling and purpose for her that came to fruition while she was in her 90’s. She became a mother for the first time raising Isaac to know and call on the name of the Lord. She became the grandmother of a great nation – God’s chosen people – from which our Savior Jesus would rise up for all peoples.
While many of us in the middle age of life are done raising children, we too still have so much to offer in this second half of life. We may have grandchildren to love, careers still to develop, ministries or charities in which to offer our gifts, and dreams in our hearts to pursue.
Most importantly, God still has plans for you. He gives you, no matter your age, a purpose to fulfil. He is not done with you yet.