Psalm 71:18-19 ~ From the English Standard Version ~ "So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?"

I saw a funny about old people that said they shouldn't be messed with because, at their age, prison is no longer a deterrent. Then there's the one where the wife tells the husband how he had promised to spend his whole life making her happy. His response was that he had never intended to live as long as he had. I will tell you this. Those jokes once rang a bell for someone other than me. Not anymore! It's Thursday, August 13, 2026, and I welcome each one. Yesterday, the wife and I did our version of over the hills and through the woods to arrive at a medical facility in Houston's downtown medical center. We timed it just right so we could play bumper cars during the early morning rush. We had a bad start to our journey when the access lane to the freeway was shut down, causing us to lose about 30 minutes before we even left our home area. Don't tell me old people can't feel a wee bit of road rage. My co-pilot kept me well informed numerous times about how close we were to crashing. Some of her warnings were very easy to hear, if you know what I mean, Vern. We finally got there. She had some tests that required us to be there for some five hours. During our stay, we, like Yogi Berra, observed a lot just by watching. Really old people were there. Elderly husbands were pushing the wheelchairs for their elderly wives. Elderly wives were pushing the wheelchairs for their elderly husbands. On more than one occasion, we looked at each other and said, "There we go." The trip back home was just as eventful as our journey there. I thought about how blessed we are to now be the ones I used to wonder why they had been let out to drive. We were pretty exhausted after our interesting day there and back. We were. We really were. But you just never get over the realization that God goes with you wherever you are. It's a good feeling, folks. It is. It really is. Amen.

 

I suppose, at my age, I am no longer asked what I want to be when I grow up. However, I have learned how growing up is a lifelong endeavor. The Apostle Paul was inspired to give his personal testimony regarding his journey for the Lord. In his letter penned to the local assembly meeting in Philippi, Greece, here is what he said, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians Chapter 3, Verses 12-14, from the New Living Translation) Here's my take. We may retire from our secular work, but our pursuit of what we desire to be when we grow up in the Lord continues until we leave this life to live forever in His presence. The children's song written by Joel Hemphill says it best:

 

He's still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me

 

If you're still breathing air here on the planet, He's still working on you and me too. Have a great rest of the day and remember to give God all the glory. Amen.