LIMPING HOME

limping home

image courtesy of photobucket.com

There was a time when I felt like I could conquer the world, big dreams, big ambitions, and a big head. I guess most young people feel that way to a degree, at least that’s been my experience.

It’s not uncommon to see young men ready to face death because someone looks at them the wrong way, no wonder youngsters make such great soldiers. Youngsters are also pretty resilient, which only exacerbates the tendencies.

When I was young I fell two stories, got up and walked away. We use to jump off roofs at work racing to the lunch truck at break time. I also got ran over by a 6,000 lb. forklift, but wasn’t down for long. When we were still kids I watched my brother pick up the back of cars.

Some years later while working out of town I watched him struggle to get out of bed due to severe back pain, he pushed through it in order to work to feed his family. I watched my nephews as teenagers jump their skateboards off roofs of houses.

Of course, all those things catch up with us eventually. I’ve come to realize there is a difference between “healing” and “mending.” We might be mended, but we are definitely not healed.

I heard it said by older wise men when I was young, “If I’d have known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself”! I now know exactly what they were talking about…

There was an old song from the 60’s by The Who, a rock band, the song was titled “My Generation.” In that song, there’s a line that says, “Hope I die before I get old.”

I saw them on TV a couple years ago in concert, those guys are now old! I thought to myself, “I wonder if they’re happy to still be alive”? I suspect they are.

Time has a way of getting behind us much quicker than we ever thought possible…

As a little more mature person and as a much older person, I too have a different perspective on this life. I think back to a big part of my life that would fall under the category of “chasing the wind.”

God used those days to give a headstrong kid a dose of wisdom, I’m not saying I’ve mastered it, I just see the obvious in hindsight. In order to see it, we have to be looking.

I consider Peter, Jesus’ right-hand man when He was walking upon this earth physically. Peter’s actions demonstrate a similar course for most of us. Peter drew his sword as a man to protect the God of the universe, he didn’t quite get it at the time.

Peter also verbally announced his devotion to Jesus even unto death, right before he denied Him three times. Peter wept over his cowardice in his flesh, regret, then humility, the beginning of wisdom.

Thankfully we have Peter’s life through his writing and in secular history to prove his ultimate wisdom. Isn’t that how God always seems to work? He allows the young people, full of pride, to find the truth through their folly.

Those same headstrong people find the true wisdom and meaning to life in God. That is when we set about to do the will of our Father, understanding that this is the reason we were born for.

The course of our lives including all the mistakes God uses as the catalyst for wisdom.

Living in our bodies and mind is that wisdom allowed by God for our honor and His glory.

May we use it to fight the good fight and run the good race as we begin limping home …