It’s never too late to be what you might have been

About two weeks ago, I was watching Jeopardy one night. I often do that. It is my version of doing crossword puzzles, those valiant attempts in keeping dementia at bay. The contestants that night were high school students, which pleased me, because I thought I had a fighting chance of keeping up, at least in Single Jeopardy. I found myself surprised when I knew an answer than none of the three knew.

Who slept for 20 years and then awoke to a new world  that had been passing him by? It is a great story, that of Rip Van Winkle.

What would it be like to wake up after all that time? What would you and I have missed if we just awoke after 20 years? Cell phones come to mind quickly. Other than the mental gymnastics of considering what changes occur in the interim and their impact, the story presses me to think about what in my life has fallen asleep. Time rushes on, responsibilities layer themselves upon us, we are busy, some things are left for later. Then this new thing happens, and we wake up to learn something we already knew or begin where we had started, to paraphrase CS Lewis. It is kin to the prodigal son’s revelation when he “came to himself”(Luke 15:17) and realized a forgotten truth.

When I came to Asheville following seminary, I worked as a pastoral counselor with a very skilled and respected therapist in the city. The work was good and meaningful for a time. The rigors of a full counseling load and the successive losses of my mother, father and brother to cancer became too much. I can joke now about the day I suddenly realized that I was more depressed than the people I was working with. So, a change needed to happen, and I was fortunate to find a place and good people where I could work and heal. I thought, “ I will do this for a year and then be able to enter ministry in some other setting.” I enjoyed the work.

Fast forward 12 years, and then I started remembering. My wife, seeing a change, helped the process when she found my ordination certificate that had been tucked away. Moisture and mold had gotten to it and the words were blurred. She took it to a framer and when treated, the words became clear again. This seems at the heart of the gospel—following Christ gathers up our scattered minds and brings clarity to who we are.

It also means that it is never too late to be who you were meant to be. Because we were always and forever meant to be His. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccles. 3:11).

Doesn’t that bring you hope? All we need to do is wake up.

NEXT WEEK: Practical ideas for fund raising