"When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian." Acts 7:23-24
This past Sunday, Deena Kastor (age 41) set the female masters world record at the Philadelphia Rock and Roll half marathon at 69:36. Before you try doing the math in your head, that's about a 5 minute mile. In the world of running, the masters division is for those runners over the age of 40. Quite a feat for any person, much less someone in the masters division. So many people seem to have the view that we make our mark on the world when we are young and then sit back and reminisce. It made me laugh to think that Moses was just getting started at the age of 40. Not that his life had been boring before that, quite the opposite. Being raised by Pharaoh's daughter he lived the life of a prince and was "educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" Acts 7:22. You could say that his first 40 years were spent learning to be important.
He spent his second 40 years learning to be humble. After killing an Egyptian "he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai." He then spent his last 40 years leading the Israelites into the promised land. God had been preparing him for this mission for 80 years! At the age of 80, he was finally ready to lead God's people out of Egypt. He had been a somebody, learned to be a nobody and finally realized that he was made to help everybody. Let this be a reminder that God has a plan for all of us. Be patient. If He is not using you, He could be preparing you.
Whether you're 22 or 52, God has a plan for you if you are willing to follow Him. Regardless of what you have done... through every test, trial and trouble in your life, He has been preparing you. If you are willing to surrender your life to Him, He will use you to lead others to Him, just as He used Moses.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that we can all do great things through You and for You, no matter our age. I pray we look back at our past experiences, good and bad, and see that You have been shaping us through them for this very time in our lives. May we continue to serve You for all our days. In your precious name we pray Jesus, Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Use me too - Johnny Diaz
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