When You Turn Fifty…

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”

As we live our lives there will be times when we reach special milestones. Learning to walk, entering school, accepting our first job, and getting married are a few. Yesterday I celebrated another landmark event: yesterday I turned fifty.

I have never been one to care much about my age. I have enjoyed every stage of life and had much to look forward to. But somehow turning fifty has felt different. This particular number causes a person to stop and take notice.

When you turn fifty you suddenly wake up to realize you have probably lived more than half of your life. With good health there may be twenty-five to thirty-five years left. This may seem like a long time to those who are young, but when you turn fifty you can look back and see how fast the years have flown by. Looking forward, time, like a freight train, hurtles downhill picking up speed with every second.

When you turn fifty you also review the things you have done and take stock of all that you would still like to accomplish. When you turn fifty reality dawns and you realize that the dreams of your youth may never pan out the way you had hoped. You will probably never be documented in the Guinness Book of World records for some great feat, accomplish a huge goal that changes the world, or even be remembered for your sacrifice and service for God.

But when you turn fifty, you also settle into a calm assurance that none of this matters. The NIV Application Commentary says that God does not judge us according to our accomplishments, but according to our faithfulness. As time passes and we grow closer to Him, He reveals what is good and what He requires – “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

I have hit a milestone in my life. I have enjoyed fifty years of living, loving, and enjoying. Who knows how many years are left? But when you turn fifty – just like when you are twenty, or thirty, or forty – the importance of your life is based, not on your accomplishments, but on your faithfulness. And this is something that never grows old!

Love,
Mama