The Fifties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

I turned 52 in February, so my fifties are just starting.   So far, there have been many challenges.  Nick is still struggling with several issues, and at 26, there’s not much we can do to help him.  I’ve had some minor health issues (even minor surgery stinks) and Tracy continues to struggle with her back.  Haley’s gymnastics are taking a toll in broken toes, ankles, etc.  With so many hours in the gym, her grades are not quite what her dad knows she is capable of, and at 15, her dating and driving are growing fatherly concerns.  My perfect job has evolved, and isn’t exactly what it was expected to be.  We have struggled to find a church here, and are probably going to end up Methodists (so please pray for us – and the Methodists).  Tracy is now working at the local zoo and enjoying her time with new animals. 

And I find myself going back to the second verse of the hymn I mentioned when I talked about my teens – The Longer I Serve Him:

Every need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Every day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

The problems we face are just the way of life in a sinful world, and they cannot take away my joy unless I let them.  I heard someone say you couldn’t climb a rock if its surface was completely smooth.  Life’s like that.  We learn more from the bumps and bruises than the mountaintop highs.  And while I still don’t like the things that are not exactly according to my plans – that are hard, or unpleasant, I have found as I’ve matured (I refuse to say aged although Tracy might say you can’t use mature and Jim in the same sentence), that life is good, and getting better.  Things that used to bother me don’t anymore (usually).  I see blessings in small things – like a close in parking place or a short line for lunch.  I’m continually blessed with new friends like Maurice, Chuck, Bob, Kris and Jon. 

¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

And from here on, I know in my heart, that despite the problems, the tears, the pains, and the sad times, my relationship with Jesus is growing deeper.  He wants to share His joy with others through me, and if I can just get “me” out of the way, He can bless us all.  And that’s something to celebrate!

The Forties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… (Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities)

My forties were just what Dickens wrote about.  The best of times included more career growth and an opportunity to live and work in Brazil.  We were there in Sao Paulo for nearly three years.  I loved the job – I’ve never worked as hard – or played as hard.  We had fun – vacations in Rio, Manaus, Las Vegas, Colorado.   Tracy had an opportunity to be the stay at home mom.   Fancy dinner parties with long dresses and tuxedos.  We made some incredible friends including Ken and Mary.  Then we came back home.  Tracy stayed home and I changed jobs.  The worst of times began - Enron collapsed and the entire energy business was in upheaval.  Nick struggled with the return to the US and trying to enter a high school mid year as a junior.  I took a step back job wise looking for a fresh start, and we moved to Florida.  There we experienced six hurricanes in 18 months, including a Category 4 going over the building I was working in.  Tracy started experiencing some health issues with her back.  I left my job before getting another and learned what it’s like to be unemployed for six months.  But I also learned to have daily quiet times and I kept a journal of my pilgrimage and grew closer to God as He sustained me. 

¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
I was blessed with a new job that was a perfect fit for my skills and desires.  I know was God’s plan for me in Indiana.