I turned 50 this year (2000). I never thought much about my age before, but 50 has always sounded rather old to me. Now those of you who are in your 60's and 70's will just giggle and say, "young whippersnapper."

When you have health problems that prevent you from doing what you want to do, you sometimes doubt that you can make a difference in life. People rather expect to slow down and do less when they get "older" but that doesn't mean they are worth less.

I saw a plaque one time that said, "By the time you get to greener pastures, you can't climb the fence." No matter whether we age as we get older, or if we've "aged" rather young due to health problems, we really like to be able to do all that we want to do. Much of our opinion of ourselves might depend on our being able to do so.

Performance is a big deal in our culture and it's hard to escape from it even with the greatest of efforts to simplify your life.

Performance is definitely overrated in our society. Your level of performance has nothing to do with your value as a person. Just because you can't do some things that others may be able to do doesn't mean that you can't do other great things.

Scripture tells us that it's not what you do that counts with God. It's what you ARE. Life is a process of becoming more like Jesus. The God of creation is looking for a personal relationship with you, not a power-packed performance that wins the gold. He wants us to KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection. He wants to be our very best friend without any expectations.

What a goal to look at ... rather than the list that the world gives us.

Donna L. Watkins
http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html