One of my favorite songs is “September 15th” by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. It’s from one their earliest albums, maybe their first, “As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls.” That song and another one, “Farmer’s Trust”, will break your heart when you watch the movie “Fandango”.
September 15th also happens to be my birthday. When one gets to a certain age, birthdays are no longer a big deal. Getting out of bed every morning and standing on one’s own two feet is a big deal. Remembering names and places and what happened a month ago or twenty years ago is a big deal.
I am blessed that I can still do meaningful work and even get paid to do it. I have a wonderful wife and a comfortable place to live. She has not taken my car keys away yet and I can still break a sweat without ending up in the ER. But “the decline” is inevitable. One may still workout, but strength and endurance no longer respond as they once did. Less becomes more, and more soon becomes impossible. You pay the price for one more try at something you used to enjoy. You are an old person now and everyone knows it…including you. Age may be just a number, but it’s a number that represents something…the passage of Time. And make no mistake, Time is still undefeated.
But you must not give up. While there is life to be lived, live it as best you can. The clock is ticking and the game is almost over. If you belong to Christ, you know that the end is just the beginning and you were not created only to live in this body for a moment and then be gone forever.
