Blog 38—The Change Series (Part 1) —Is it Ever Too Late to Start Over?

Have your best Years Passed You By? In the recesses of your mind do you aver ask yourself; ‘have I passed the Point of no Return’?

Can I ever reach a stage of life where it’s just too late to start over?

'Have your best Years Passed You By?'—Photo by Christopher Windus on Unsplash

In my teens I never give it any real thought–That was until I sat the VCE exams.

No one ever explained that there was a Normal Distribution Curve.

Statistical marking had to ensure that certain percentage of students would pass, a certain number would excel and the remainder would fail. The numbers had to be manipulated to fit the curve.

There was no fixed pass line figure—There was no set standard anymore. This was dog-eat-dog, where the brightest dogs passed while the dumber dogs failed. I wasn’t one of the brighter dogs.

But I was young and I could try again and again and again!

My best days are ahead of me

I'm fortunate, I have a great life, with it's ups and downs.

I've experienced a broken hearts], broken dreams, dead ends and times of disappointment.

I’ve also experienced the joys of meeting the love of my life, getting married, setting up home, having children and ‘getting ahead'.

Sure we weren’t young any more, I mean we were in our thirties … but we still had a lifetime ahead of us.

My best years are ahead of me.

But something has been niggling me. Something I've been refusing to look seriously at—Retirement

You see, I enjoy working, I have an insatiable curiosity. I love to learn. I want to grow old and remain active. I’m mentally alert and my body is in pretty good nick!

However the reality is that retirement is coming sooner than later.

I may not not want to remain doing what I’m doing currently at work and I'm thinking that my current employer probably won't want to employ an old codger like me!… after working in a call centre is a young persons game. It’s a means to an end … not an end in itself.

So reality says that I’ll probably finish working in another four or five years maximum! That’s rather thought provoking.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d have done things differently.

I’d have been more careful with my money,
I’d have studied differently,
I’d have methodically set a larger sum aside for my Superannuation.

The point of no return

It's too late to make those sort of changes requires decades, and I don’t have that sort of time available to me.

Perhaps you can relate to that.

In many way’s I've passed the point of no return. I can’t go back and start over again, There just aren’t that many years ahead of me, Unless I plan to live to be 120 years old!

The interesting thing is that I still believe that my best years are ahead of me.

I’ve made intentional choices, over the past few years, that have positively impacted my life and those I care about the most.

My family
My church
My colleagues
Those further afield.

Age has it's advantages

I can share my life stories. I can help those coming behind me to not make the same stuff-ups I made.

They can learn from me and then go ahead and make mistakes of their own!

With age and evaluated experience I’ve matured.

My faith in Christ is intimate. I have learned to trust;

God as my Father,

Jesus as my closest friend and confidant

The Holy Spirit is my steadfast counsellor and guide.

Change is a given

The uncertainties of growing old don’t bother me as I thought they would.

I am content knowing that God is my all-in-all. He is the only one I know I can rely on. He is my Saviour and my Lord.

Over time, my perception has changed.

Before the curtain rises

Many people believe that we should make the best of this life because that’s all we have—Then we die.

As I’ve matured, as a disciple of Jesus, my thoughts on life and Heaven have changed.

the real thing I believe that this life is like a rehearsal. This is where I practice my craft and what lies beyond the grave is . That being the case I'd better learn my lines and make sure I take every opportunity to get my act together—before the curtain rises.

Practice

I need to practice;

living,
learning,
giving,
saving,
sharing all that I can,

in this life … so that I'll be better equipped to live on the other side of eternity.

Is it ever too late to start over?

Have my best years passed me by? Is it ever to late to start over?

I must admit that I have wasted time and resources,

I could have;

done better,

tried harder,

been a better son,

been a better brother,

been a better husband father.

I could have been a better employee and I know for certain that my grotty attitude needed to be brought into line often. But …

My heavenly Father has promised that as I continue to live my life for Him, He takes everything, good, bad and indifferent, to weave a beautifull tapestry that will honour him to and help build others up.

No, I’ts never too late to start over. Begin, again … today!

Your best years are not behind you. Re-evaluate and if need be change … repent.

If necessary rededicate you life to God. Offer him your screwed-up life …again.

As St Paul stated ‘I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.’—Philippians 3:14 NLT

TWEET THIS— ‘Your life is a dress rehearsal for eternity. Live intentionally today and impact the destiny of those you love the most.’—https://bit.ly/2LrrfAy.

‘Too many people look backwash regret at lost opportunities. I choose to help ordinary people live extraordinary lives, by taking intentional steps today … that impact the destiny of those they care about the most.’—Rod Semple

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