Most of the time, people give you gifts or well wishes on your birthday and today for me, this has also been true. Today, May 15, 2019, is my 55th birthday on planet earth. That little fact means I’ve now lived 20,075 days. I’m old enough to go live in 55 or older adult only communities; I’ve routinely been getting “senior discount” offers for years. Some of you are now in shock I’m only 55 because you were convinced I’m so much older. I guess it’s just I’ve been accused of being old for so long I don’t know how else to act. Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I’ve been doing this for years partly because I’ve had an 8 year career in law enforcement and now over 20 years in full time ministry as a pastor and I’ve learned the brevity of life. So as my birthday gift to my family, my friends, my church family, acquaintances or for anyone really who’ll take the time to read this; I’d like to share 55 spiritual & practical life lessons learned over my 55 years. These are not an exhaustive list by any means - no-one has time for that; and these aren’t necessarily the most important lessons learned but many of them are. Some I probably shouldn’t have written down and there are no doubt are others I should have written down today. But these are what I’ve written today & I hope you’ll enjoy and reflect on your life in the process. My prayer in sharing is that it will be a blessing and an encouragement to you in your spiritual journey through life. Just to let you know I tried to think through my life by decade so these are in some semblance of order. So here we go…
- God placed you in the exact family He wanted you in. Be thankful for it.
- Because of #1, He has a plan and purpose for you; even if your family isn’t Godly.
- Because of #1 & 2, if your family is Godly; you have even more reason to be thankful.
- No discipline seems pleasant at the present time, but afterwards yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness by those who have been trained by it.
- Your parents were not perfect but they did the best they could. Be thankful.
- You learn submission to God’s authority by learning submission to parental authority.
- You don’t always get what you want as a gift, maybe it’s what you need. Be thankful because it’s a gift!
- Your parents have sacrificed immensely for you and more than you’ll ever know. You won’t understand and get it until you’re a parent yourself. Be thankful. Tell them thank you.
- Write personal thank you notes. Always have an attitude of gratitude.
- Your parents were not ogres when you were a teenager. They were trying to keep you from getting yourself killed. By the way, nothing good happens after midnight out of the house. That applies if you’re 15 or 55.
- The Gospel is so simple a child, in my case as a 5 year old boy, can understand it, recognize his or her sinful condition, repent and embrace Jesus Christ by faith!
- Be thankful for the wonderful grace of Jesus that reaches even me.
- Some whippings and discipline you got as a kid were in fact way over the top. Just remember all the sinful stuff you got away with. Don’t be bitter, be thankful for the grace of God. See lesson #5.
- Hard work and a diligent work ethic is ordained by God and honors Him. It is gratifying and rewarding and will pay off with a multitude of blessings from God.
- Do all to the glory of God. As my father taught me “Son, I don’t care if you’re a garbage collector, be the best garbage collector you can be to the glory of God.” Interestingly, I have a friend named Ralph who was in fact a garbage collector & did it to the glory of God!
- You appreciate the things you worked hard for more than things just given to you. However, you must learn to appreciate both equally.
- Your teachers invested deeply in you. Be thankful to them and be thankful for your education.
- Don’t wish your life away as a kid or a teenager. You’ll be old soon.
- Team sports are wonderful life lesson teaching tools but they are not your life. Enjoy it while you can but know they are great preparation for learning to work with others. BTW winning isn’t everything, I hate losing but winning isn’t everything and you need to learn to be a good loser.
- Pay more attention to spiritual matters while you are young.
- Marriage is a wonderful, wonderful blessing! Thank God for your spouse like I thank God for Cheryl.
- Marriage is hard work but it is worth every bit of it when husband & wife invest in their relationship daily. It truly gets sweeter as the days go by. Divorce was never an option, murder however was always a strong possibility. I’m kidding! No not really…Cheryl is the most amazing woman ever; thank you God.
- Children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them. Ps. 127
- The sense of pride, joy & overwhelming awe of God & His gift of life is indescribable & I’ll never get over holding each of my babies for the very first time. I’ve had that joy 5 times w/ my kids and 6 times with my grandkids.
- The sense of responsibility for a Dad holding his newborn baby for the very first time is completely overwhelming. You know you have to lean on God.
- Parenting is exhausting, stressful and hard. But by the grace of God & obedience to the Word of God; you can do it.
- God’s Holy Spirit, prayer & the Word of God is a parents secret weapon & super power to be used against their manipulative kids.
- Put your coffee pot in your bathroom when your kids are little so you and your wife can have a Quiet Time & walk with God. Teach your kids your bedroom is Holy Ground.
- Hot sex at night flows from doing laundry or dishes in the morning for your wife.
- God’s gift of sex is greatest between a monogamous married husband & wife completely sold out to each other and gets greater over your life time together.
- People think you’re nuts when you have 5 kids. You were & are; but it’s awesome and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
- Never ever argue with your teenagers. They will change their mind tomorrow. It’s a total waste of emotional energy. Be encouraged because they actually do listen to what you say.
- Trust is a very, very, very fragile thing in your family. Guard it, nurture it, don’t every break it & be thankful to God for it. If you break it, repent immediately and ask for forgiveness!
- Living far away from your family on assignment for Jesus is often hard and very difficult. Keep eternity in mind, lean on Jesus and bloom where you’re planted. BTW, home is where you hang your hat and where your wife and children are.
- Give God a blank check with your life & you’ll never regret it.
- When you wake up one day and you don’t like the person staring back at you in the mirror; you can choose to change & you have within you the power of the Holy Spirit to change. If you aren’t a believer, becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC! Admit your sin; believe in Jesus Christ by faith and repent of your sin; confess Him as Savior & Lord committing the rest of your life to Him.
- Never ever put anything in higher priority in your life than your personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.Your family is 2nd place; everything else including your job is a distant 3rd. Those priorities in order will serve you well in life & result in great blessing.
- We can trust God implicitly; He is always, always, always faithful.
- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
- Don’t be reckless & stupid with your life or the lives of others around you. However, you are bullet proof & can live fearlessly knowing nothing happens to you without God’s express permission. So fear not! 2nd Timothy 1:7 “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”
- The life of faith, trust & walking with Jesus Christ daily wherever He walks is the greatest, most exciting adventure you’ll ever have.
- There is no substitute for personal, daily Bible Study & prayer for a child of God. It is your life line, it is oxygen for your soul. Neglect it to your own demise & peril.
- When you make a mistake, own it, ask for forgiveness from all the people you wronged and move on by the grace of God.
- Your kids desperately need you to be their parent and not their buddy. If you will be faithful as their parent when they are young, you can in fact be their buddy when they are grown. Delayed gratification on this is worth the work and the wait!
- Save more, spend less, live within your means. Pay cash and never go into debt! Give God His tithes & offerings with a joyful heart; you cannot out give God. Man I wish I had learned this sooner than later.
- The tough assignments God gives you are His prerogative & a blessing. Get over yourself and be thankful God chooses to use you at all.
- God has all the wisdom, knowledge and resources you need. This is always true but especially in the tough assignments He gives you. He will provide for you when you walk with Him in humility & ASK - Ask, Seek & Knock.
- Choose to make a small difference each day, walk with the King and be a blessing or an encouragement each day. You will find great joy and your life will have great impact for the glory of God.
- God isn’t through with you until He calls you home. So keep walking with Jesus Christ by faith & your 4th quarter can be your greatest quarter for the glory of God.
- Slow down, enjoy the season of life, lean in close to Jesus, love people & keep being faithful.
- Treasure your parents in their old age. You will not have them long. Their mind or their life may be gone all too soon.
- The cure for personal grief is service to Jesus Christ and others. Focus on the joy of your loved one in Heaven if they knew Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord.
- Be a faithful witness for Christ so others can enjoy #52 when their loved ones die.
- Lifelong friends are great treasures. Invest in those relationships, nurture them and take care of those relationships by the grace of God.
- I am who I am by the grace of God. I am one tremendously blessed Husband, Dad, Grand Dad & Pastor. A trophy of God’s grace because of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope these 55 spiritual and practical life lessons learned over 55 years are a blessing to you today as my gift to you on my “Double Nickel” birthday; from my little corner of the world to yours…
