By Richard Prow ~ rpcrosswords@gmail.com

Fifty came by for a visit a few weeks ago. He’s not leaving and more of his friends are coming over soon enough. It’s okay though because I wasn’t dreading his arrival. It doesn’t make much sense to try to stave off what is inevitable. Besides, that futile effort is just a waste of what time one has left.
Whether you are spiritual or not, whether you believe or you don’t, life is meant to live. What difference is one more day, one more year, or one more decade if it’s spent huddled in a corner waiting for the ball to drop? What’s to be gained by allowing time to strangle the life out of you?
Sadly that’s what most of us do. We develop routines and patterns to count the days away. Most of them useless and unimaginative. We mark years with birthdays and anniversaries, many spent reflecting upon what happened in the past rather than planning for the future. The “golden years” are slowing turning into the stone ages.
People without faith are foolish to live in such a way. If nothing takes place after inhaling your last breath, you need to make the most of what’s left. There are relationships still to be forged. There are life long dreams yet to be realized - 2 eighty year old men just tried scaling Mount Everest. There are places to go, people to see, things to do. As the country song goes, “Live like you were dying.” Because you are.
For those with faith, our motto should be, “Live like you were living.” Because you are. If death has been conquered, if resurrection is a sure thing, what’s the big deal about leaving town? We are simply trading one location for another. And quite frankly some of us need a change of scenery to get our blood pumping again. Why not take some risks, gamble a little (oops, I forgot that was a sin), or try something you’ve never imagined or have imagined. What do you have to lose? Living for a believer is like being a trapeze artist with a giant safety net positioned below. Knowing that you will live forever takes the chains off. There will always be tomorrow.
I’m not saying that everyone over 50 needs to take up bungee jumping or sky-diving - although you might just find either of those exhilarating. But there is however much left to accomplish. God wouldn’t have left you here otherwise. Whether you are 5 or 50, life is there for the taking. Especially for those whose future has been entrusted to God. Just think of the possibilities that open up when an unlimited amount of time becomes available.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”  (2 Corinthians 4:16).