Unless you’ve been meditating on a mountain top with no transmission, you’ll know that Wales beat England 21-13 in the Six Nations rugby match last Saturday. Max Boyce probably wrote another song to commemorate it. In the crowd was an 82 year old who’d never been to a rugby match before. (Perhaps she moved into Wales late in life.) She said that meeting the team was wonderful, adding, ‘It will be hard to top that one. I’m 82 years of age and to have something like that happen to you at my age is amazing.’
But why should that be? Amazing happens at all ages. In my book, ‘What’s Age Got To Do With It?’ you can read about men and women in their nineties and more who are still doing ‘amazing’. Like 100-year old Bo Gilbert, chosen by a leading London designer for a Harvey Nichols’ advertisement for the 100th issue of Vogue Magazine. And the 101 year old Douglas Higgins, who wrote a book at the age of 100 to tell his story to others so that they too, might discover Jesus: and the 101 year old Doris Long, who abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower in Plymouth to raise funds for charity. When interviewed, she said she hoped the wind would be less buffeting next year. There are others too – and they are not exceptions. It’s just that we don’t hear about them, mainly, perhaps, because stories about older people don’t sell newspapers. On the other hand, every week on my social media pages others drop in at least two stories of ‘amazing’ older people.
Why is this important? Because we shape our lives on our expectations. Proverbs 4:23 says it well, ‘Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences.’ In psalm 139 King David writes, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’
Nothing is impossible with God. I’m looking forward to ‘amazings’ until the day I arrive Home with Him, and then even more!
