When exactly is a mid-life crisis. The conventional wisdom would say that it occurs, for men, when the expansion of the waistline coincides with the thinning of the hair. About this same time it is all too common for men to seek a younger woman and a red sports car. Thankfully that is not mandatory behavior but it is all too often true.

The reason I ask this question is so I could follow the Psalmist request of God, Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” More to the point, teach me o God to number my days that I might have a heart that will seek after wisdom. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, every day is a gift from God and we are responsible for the stewardship of that day.

If you assume that you will live to the ripe old age of 80, the appropriate time to have this fabled “MID-LIFE CRISIS” is at 40. Ok, we have established that. But which of us here knows the number of our days.

On November 11, 1984, I should have died at 6:36 am. I was going to work at a fast food joint and someone in a car nearly ended my “career” as a person. Well, at that time I was only 23, seventeen years away from my designated “mid life crisis.” If I had died that day I figure my “mid life crisis” would have been when our family moved from Texas to Florida. I was elevenish so that could have been it for me.

Think about your life, what has been significant in the past that you might call a “mid life crisis?” The birth of a sick child, childhood cancer, divorce, death in the family, what has it been for you? I have no particular crisis in mind, the lists could be endless, but by God’s unfathomable grace, what has been yours. Maybe better put, do you know what tragedies God has spared you from that you will never know about this side of Heaven. I am firmly convinced that we go about our daily lives and get into the rut of looking at all the bad that happen. Stop and try to imagine all the bad that don’t happen to you. You see a bad wreck on the side of the road, think what happened at home that might have delayed you from being in that wreck! The example could be endless, but think about all the chaos that God spares you from everyday. I am telling you, that if you do this, you will wake up saying “Good morning Lord” instead of “Good Lord it is morning!”

Currently I am 15,739.75 days old. I have numbered my days. I am working on that “heart of wisdom” thing. The .75 days is factoring in for leap year, in case you were wondering. But, how many more days do I have on this earth, no idea. Will my Lord Jesus return for His Church in the rapture soon, I pray, but no one knows? How is your health, when is you last day?

One more little rabbit trail. Three years ago about right now, I started to loose weight. Great, right? Not really. I lost 10 pounds one week, then ten pounds the next week. I had people at church asking me if I was feeling OK? I assured them I was fine, but excused myself to go get a drink of water and then off to the “little boys room.” I analyzed the situation and figured I was not eating enough. So I did what any GUY would do, I kept close track of how many calories I was eating and ate like there was no tomorrow. How true that almost was. Well, that week I lost 25 pounds and literally went blind from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning. You might have guessed, I had become a diabetic.

The interesting things, yes things plural, about my story is that most if not all “mid life diabetic onset” is what is called type 2 diabetes. As the story unfolds, I am one of a VERY small group of folks that become type 1 diabetics at “mid life.” For the uninitiated, Type 1 means insulin and needles, type 2 is with diet and oral meds. Most all type 1 diabetics find this out in their youth, hence the name juvenile diabetes. I am “special” just a late bloomer. Since the culture of medicine is so defensive, doctors are quick to help patients with pills and more pills. I was given meds for conditions I did not have in order to protect myself from them occurring later, assuming I would take no part in my new found illness. The medications have made life very interesting for me. Again, convention wisdom says “mid life crisis” timing is right about now for me. I have no desire to live one day longer than is God’s will for me, but I can tell you that another 44 years of this, well those days and the number of them are in God’s hands and His grace will be sufficient to meet the needs of them.

The question is this, what are you doing with the days you are given? Are you making the most of them for His Kingdom and His glory, or for you kingdom and your glory? Either way you will have to answer for the way you have used them. I pray that from this time forward you keep this thought before you always, “teach me O Lord to number my days that I may apply my heart towards wisdom”

I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to chat some more. I also am working on becoming a better writer, so stick around and look for the improvements. papaspipeline@gmail.com is how to reach me. Blessings to all of you.

Your fellow servant in HIS service,

Tim