Sunset Challenge

Do you ever feel you are too old to start something new?

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. - Gen. 12:1-7

Abram was seventy-five when God called him. 

I know. I had to let that sink in a bit. Seventy-five is within two years of the life expectancy of a White Male in the United States today. So, we are talking about the winter of our lives here.

Brrr!

Yes, that is a chilling statement. But the point is that Abram was old by today's standards. Biblical ages, though, were a lot different, with Adam living into his 900s, but it would be safe to say if someone lived to be fifty or sixty in Abram's day, that would be about right.

So, Abram was beyond the point when one would expect God to call on him and give him an assignment.

But that is what God did. And Abram accepted the challenge.

This would make a great reality show today. An old man packs up his family and takes them to a foreign land where they will build a nation.

Wow!

Sometimes, God gives us a glimpse of what the future will hold for us. We see it in other people, people older than we are. 

They may have trouble walking or need help getting out of bed. They may be unable to do anything. They represent us a few years down the road.

I am not trying to be morbid. I think God knows what our future will be, so He may call us to do something while we can.

I call it a sunset challenge. God wants us to go down fighting. So, I am giving it a great deal of thought these days. 

While there is still some fight in me, I will accept the challenge to do something with the time I have left.

Oh, family and friends will say I have plenty of time left and shouldn't think of the sunset time. What do they know?

Our clock could stop at any time. And if, in those final hours, we are debilitated, we shouldn't wait to get started. 

So, what is your sunset challenge? 

I started by writing my novels. I will see where that leads me. Maybe I will travel the world meeting new people, while I still have a little punch left in me.

More to come...