Why Not Live Until You Die?
Your Life In Stages – Part 4
Booma asked me this question, how in the world are you going to attempt to speak to decades that are in the far distance for me and for you? Actually Booma, this lesson isn’t really to define what we naturally see, but rather help a person plan to live a life that most don’t see. If you had a sheet of paper with one column listing the 10 decades, whose name would you place in the second column as the person who’d be a model for you in the respective decades? I bet it would not be easy to find a good mentor or example whose name you could place in each space. What that means is there’s a lot to be desired and gained by planning to have a decade, whatever decade it is, like no one else. What we’ve outlined in the decade-calendar is far from the reality of most people. In other words, there aren’t many people that you know who model each of these well. In fact, that’s the main reason you’ve asked me to share this. It contradicts normally what happens and you have no interest in seeing your life follow the normal patterns. You want more?
Allow me to give you a thought you should never forget. Life is but a midst. [1] It’s short. Therefore we should plan to enjoy every day we have. We should enjoy each decade and prepare ourselves to have the best next decade we possibly can. So, knowing this, ask yourself, how do you envision your “returning decades?” I’ll share a few thoughts I have to get you going.
Stage 8 (Decade 8) – Living Like I Desire to Live
Decade 8 (70-79) I envision my life to be like my father-in-law’s life. He’s building a legacy and planning how he will leave an inheritance for his children and their children. [2] He’s working towards a lifelong dream of building a family business. He’s returned to the place he dreamt of living and how he’d like to live. He’s not living a decade-8 where he’s thinking of the end of life, he’s living. Let me say this here, whatever you seek is what you find. You have heard it said “seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open for you.” [3] He doesn’t have a job that’s pulling at him, that he must work for income, but he’s working his desired work which doesn’t feel like work at all, but enjoyment. That’s how I want to live. I want to live a life focused on living.
Stage 9 (Decade 9) – The Wise Person I’ve Yet to See
Decade 9 (80-89) I wish to be the wisest me that I can be. What if at this stage we took our eyes off of what’s ahead, what we’ve lost, and the time we have left, and focus our total energy on how to share all the wisdom we’ve gained from living. I desire to be that person. I desire to be a person that when I speak everyone listens. That’s how I wish to spend my decade-9.
Stage 10 (Decade) – Giving The Best of Me
Decade 10 (90-99) in the words of John Maxwell, I’m going to live until I die. If God sees fit to grant me life in stage 10, I want to spend it blessing others. I don’t just want to bless them financially, but like the patriarchs of old. There’s a true story that goes something like this. Joseph went to visit his father, Jacob who was well in age (stage 10). When Jacob (who is also known as Israel) heard that Joseph had come, he did something interesting. He rallied his strength and sat up. [4] In decade-10, I want to be that person who can still rally his strength and sit up.
He then proceeded to recall what God had told him years ago, and reminded Joseph, his son, of all God had done. He then claimed Joseph’s sons who were with him as his very own. Next he conferred the blessing of God upon them. I think it takes someone who’s overcome life at this stage to be able to confer such a blessing. [5] Only one who has been blessed, is blessed and skilled in blessing can do this. I want to be this person that before I leave this world that I look forward to conferring the blessing upon my children and theirs.
Think of it this way, what would happen to your children’s children if they were accepted by someone who is seen as great in the eyes of all your family members? This is what stage 10 has to offer. This is a moment we should not only prepare for, but greatly anticipate. If we have a plan that mapped out the best possible decades for each respective decade why wouldn’t we look forward to what comes next?
I’d like to end here. Don’t end your life until it ends. In other words, stop preparing to die when you’re alive. Let’s use the example of John and Melvin Maxwell who said “I’m going to live until I die.” Ordinary people don’t look favorably upon aging, but we’ve decided not to be average. We look forward to getting old, we just do it one day at a time. We look forward to simply enjoying this day. The Bible says this is the day that the Lord has made, why not rejoice and be glad about it. [6]The Final Stages of Life
Question: if you could have your ideal future in the return phase of life what would it look like?
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Reference #1: James 4:14 NLT, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/JAS.4.14.NLT
Reference #2: Proverbs 13:22 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/PRO.13.22.NKJV
Reference #3: Matthew 7:7 NIV, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.7.7.NIV
Reference #4: Genesis 48:1-5 NIV, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.48.1-5.NIV
Reference #5: Genesis 48:20 NIV, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.48.20.NIV
Reference #6: Psalms 118:24 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed February 28, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/PSA.118.24.NKJV
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
