A Living Testimony

In what season of life are you in active pursuit? 

I once heard a doctor from India share some observations about typical missionary careers. In the first phase, missionaries exercise their professional training as doctors, engineers, teachers, or pastors. In the second phase, they move from doing the work themselves into a leadership or management role over others doing that work. And finally, in their third phase of a career, they no longer had to be exercising their profession, nor did they need to be in a leadership position, but instead, they step back from both direct practice and leadership, entering a deeply meaningful season as encouragers — investing in the lives of those they walked alongside as a doer or a leader. As I reflected over my career, this resonated with me and I purposed to be an agent of encouragement in this season of my life. 

A while ago, I heard someone say that you should look at your life like a football game with four 15-minute quarters. Assuming that around your 20th birthday, you might be ready to start your working career, the first quarter would go from age 20 to 35. The second quarter would be from 35 to 50, the third quarter would be from 50 to 65, and the fourth quarter would be from 65 to 80, and after that, it's sudden-death overtime! 

Now think about it . . . the fourth quarter is usually the most exciting part of the game. Every effort is put into action in order to win the game. And so often, the final quarter is what determines the outcome. 

I’ve always been interested in reading about people throughout history and how they finished their lives. What kinds of attitudes did they have at the close of their earthly years? Over the years, we have had opportunities to visit friends living in retirement communities. There were usually some grumpy old men, but thankfully, there were positive, encouraging, joyful people, too. What I came to realize is that all of these people were living their lives as a result of their whole lives, not just those last few years. 

Hmmm . . . now think about that. What kind of life are you reflecting now, and do you want to be a good example of a Christ follower? Start today by cultivating the character qualities that bring glory to Jesus. ​