NO OTHER FOUNDATION

This past Sunday I celebrated my 40th birthday. I woke up and the first thought that came to my mind was, “Jonathan, you are old.” Seriously, I was in a weird funk all day. I enjoyed the time I got to spend with family and friends, but that thought lingered with me. I was ready for the day to be over with so I could move on. March 17th, 1984 seems like so long ago. Forty years prior to my birth our nation was in a World War and my grandfather was serving in Europe fighting for his life and the freedom I enjoy today. I wasn’t even a fleeting thought in his mind.

Last summer, I began a journey to fulfill a bucket list goal of mine, complete a full marathon. I knew forty was approaching and I wanted to compete in the Dallas Marathon before I my birthday. I trained hard. I created a schedule to build up to marathon miles in my running program. I was running anywhere from 6 to 24 miles a day. It was hard, but also rewarding. I felt great.

I bought a Garmin watch to help me with my training. It was one of my favorite purchases that I’ve ever made. I wish I would have had it when I ran Cross Country in High School. It tells me my mile ran, my heart rate, my steps, my body battery, my stress, and so much more. Then it gives me charts and shows how I’ve improved over time.

One of the coolest features of my Garmin watch is my VO2 Max. My current VO2 is a 45, and is in the top 25% for my age and gender. Pretty cool! Then my Garmin watch tells me this, “Your Fitness Age is 20.” Boy, I love that!

That got me to thinking, I wonder what my spiritual fitness age is? Forty seems so old. I definitely thought I’d be in a different place in my life by now. Somewhere more successful. Somewhere more accomplished.

Moses probably thought he had made it to the top by the time he was forty. He was living in Pharaoh’s palace as a prince. But he had a burden for his people that he knew was being mistreated. He killed an Egyptian that was abusing an Israelite because he had power and thought he could get away with it. You can read the account yourself in Exodus 2. Moses probably thought he was going to be the one to deliver the people of Israel out of the hands of the Egyptians. And he probably thought, “I’m forty, now is the time.” Instead, his people met him with the response, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14). So, he fled from Egypt to Midian, no doubt with a major hit to his pride. He probably thought, “Moses, you’re old.” But God wasn’t done with him.

Forty years later God meets Moses at the burning bush. There God tells him, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.” (Exodus 3:5-6)

At eighty, God reveals Himself to Moses. And Moses met with God. He began to speak with God. the Bible tells us that He spoke with God as one would speak to a friend. He trusts God and takes Him at His Word. Moses may have been weak and frail as an 80 year old, but his spiritual age was closer to 20. Even as an old man, God used Moses for great purposes. Maybe getting older isn’t such a bad thing after all.