The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. – 1 Corinthians 15:47-49

Today – at around one-thirty in the morning (EST) – the calendar ticked off another year and I achieved the tired, worn, wrinkled, wizened, somewhat depleted vintage of sixty-two.

That’s right, folks, for the first time in my life to date I am actually feeling my age! Typically my birthday posts celebrate the fact that I’ve never felt more alive, robust, vital, strong, and timeless… but not this year! This year I have the flu (we both do), we had to cancel birthday plans with the grandchildren, and I feel every one of the 22,645 days I have been alive!

Don’t worry. I may be a little tired, but that’s okay because I have been thinking about this and what I’m experiencing is simply a reminder to pay attention to the more sustainable areas of who I am as a child of God.

Fact is, I am no longer defined by who I am physically, and that is a good thing in many ways. I’m no longer a young man who can run the hundred in ten flat, or dance my way around a soccer field for ninety minutes. It’s not that I don’t take care of my body, I really am doing my best; it’s just not so important anymore.

Just Now Hitting My Prime!

Spiritually, though, I’m still moving into my prime. What’s beautiful about the spiritual dimension of who I am is that it’s never going to peak and then fade away, but will always grow.

The really good news is that in a few years (it may be twenty, it may be forty, or it may be next week) I won’t be needing the physical part of who I am anymore, and even my mental acuity will pass into memory and time. But my spirit, now that’s another story. My spirit is all I’m going to need, and it’s just now coming into its own.

Of course I wish I felt better today, and I trust that I will still be hiking, and playing golf, and enjoying good health for many years to come. But I also take this as a cogent reminder to invest liberally in my spiritual self, and to particularly hone the part of me I’m going to need for the next stage of the journey; not only then, but right now.

Because I am, first and foremost, a child of God. I was created for eternity, and in the great scheme of things, sixty-two turns out to be nothing!

Always grateful – DEREK