50 Today

"Reflections at 50"..."1/2 of a hundred" that's quite an accomplishment! At least I think so! To me, it's a milestone...a bench-mark, "I've lived 50 years, I'm half-a-hundred!" You see, my momma died at age 39. but I've made it 50 years now, every year I do this, I say this..."my momma only made it to 39, but I'm___." Yeah, yeah, I've been thru alot...momma died when I was just 16....dad was an alcoholic...family got split-up...had an uncle who beat me...yeah, yeah, move on! "There's alot of sadness in the world!"
I think, right now anyways...the thing I "camp-on", the thing I seem to dwell on the most, with this birthday is..."my frame", my body, my physical condition...."how I feel"
God's Word says: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. " Ps. 139:14 It also says..."Though outwardly we are wasting away" 2 Cor 4:16 Most days I confess, I don't "feel" fearfully & wonderfully made...I can definitely relate to the "outwardly wasting away"...My body does this great job of reminding me, I am getting older! I envy others who can still do "things"....things like run, or move quickly, or jump around on ladders and roofs...I used to be able to do such "things", and quite well if I may be so bold to say....alas, I took them for granted, I was invincible...or at least I thought so, my bride reminded me of this again yesterday! "If someone would have told you, some 30 years ago, your body is going to 'pay-you-back-for-this'...you would have laughed at them!" So true, she's right! I knew 1 gear, one speed..."full-throttle"..."full-speed-ahead"..."all-out"..."I'm givin' er all she's got captain"..."hell-bent-in-a-fury". That was all I knew man, go, go, go.  The old saying..."hind sight's 50-50"....ya can't go back, and even if you could, would you do it any different? Probably not...okay for sure, I wouldn't!  Yet, throughout all this "i-n-t-r-o--s-p-e-c-t-i-o-n", gosh, I love that word...."i-n-t-r-o--s-p-e-c-t-i-o-n", one thing I am so Thankful for....My Lord! Yes, GOD...Jesus Christ! Throughout all my "trials" of this life, I can see the hand of my God in my life...He's always been there, thru it all...even in the times when I went my own way, when I disregarded His Way, and thought my way was right, was better...He never left me, never abandoned me...even though He should have, He didn't....and He has even blessed me! I often say, "Iam the most blessed man in the world!" And I believe that!
Lord, You have taught me to say..."Thank You! Thank You for creating me, Thank You that You are my God!" "Therefore we do not lose heart, inwardly we are being renewed day by day"