What would you do with an extra 10 years of life?

In my previous post, I originally announced that this post would be entitled “What would make a 73rd birthday special?” However, as I wrote this post, I decided on a new title. The essence of the post is unchanged, but I thought the new title would challenge both me and my readers more.

This past week I observed the 73rd anniversary of my birthday. It was a very special day for me. The 73rd birthday is usually not one that is wildly celebrated. What would make a 73rd birthday special? My 73rd birthday represented ten extra years of life that most people, especially medical experts, didn’t expect that I would have.

In the early afternoon of March 16, 2009, less than a week after my 63rd birthday, I was milling about the university’s conference room, having coffee with colleagues and discussing the agenda for our upcoming business meeting, my last scheduled cabinet meeting as provost of the university.  Suddenly, without warning, I suffered a traumatic brain episode. A cerebral aneurysm burst triggering the implosion of a previously undetected, benign meningioma, which was attached to my right frontal lobe.

The headache was excruciating and I was almost completely incapacitated. Due to this experience, I know what the “10” on a pain scale feels like. Everyone in the meeting, except me, thought that I was experiencing a stroke. They immediately called 911. The EMTs arrived within five minutes and loaded me on their gurney for transport to the hospital.

I remember asking someone to call my wife Elaine to let her know what was happening. However, before the EMTs could wheel the gurney out of the conference room, I lost consciousness. I was in a coma for the next four days. My next memory after that request for someone to call Elaine was when I woke up in an ICU hospital bed with gauze bandages all over my head and wires everywhere.

The attending nurse called the on-duty neurologist who just happened to be the surgeon who had performed emergency surgery on me, the evening of that March 16. He rushed to my room and explained what had happened to me in the conference room and the first full day at the hospital. He didn’t pull any punches with a graphic description of the explosion of a cerebral aneurysm and the resultant implosion of a benign meningioma. Twice in the 30 minutes or so that he spent in my room, he spoke the same words: “There are no scientific or medical reasons to explain why you are alive and so alert.”

After the neurologist left I had the first opportunity to talk to Elaine. She told me a tale of terror for her. When she got the call from the university that I was on my way to the hospital, she was too upset to drive herself. She called our pastor who rushed her to the hospital.

By the time she got there, she was not allowed to see me. I was already being prepped for surgery. The ER doctor that she met at the hospital entrance didn’t do much to calm her nerves. She told Elaine to gather the family together. This would be a difficult task since both of our daughters with their families lived in Pennsylvania, a ten-hour drive to where we were living in Western Michigan.

When Elaine asked why she should alarm the family, the doctor indicated that if I survived the operation, which was doubtful, I would never be the same. The doctor said if it were her family she knew they would appreciate the opportunity to say goodbye.

The intervening ten years between March 2009 and 2019 is a tale of roaring firestorm after firestorm and miracle after miracle. During those ten years, I had dozens of medical setbacks. However, I am still alive and able to walk somewhat awkwardly and write somewhat haltingly. Due to my medical problems, I have interacted with scores of doctors who have all said essentially the same thing: “There are no scientific or medical reasons to explain why you are walking and talking.” They all use the same two words to describe me and my conditions: miracle and enigma.

I believe the story of those ten years is one that is crying to be told and I intend to do just that. I am currently working on a separate book-length manuscript which I have tentatively entitled Has anyone seen my life? It was here a minute ago.

The purpose of this post is three-fold. The first is to celebrate an extra 10 years of life that no one in the medical profession expected me to experience. The second purpose is to offer you a dozen of the many lessons that I learned or relearned during the extra 10 years that I have been given. The third and final purpose is to challenge you with the significant question: “What would you do with an extra 10 years of life?

Since this posting is special, I am going to dispense with my self-imposed 1,000-word limit just for this post. I trust you understand my desire to put it all out there in one shot instead of doling it out small piece by small piece.

Due to my medical problems I had to retire from full-time academic employment. This break from 50 or 60 hour work weeks gave me much time to reflect and write. What follows are a dozen of the many lessons that I have learned or relearned through this experience, intensive study, and much contemplation and reflection.

1. God is in control.

There are four scriptural passages that I have kept returning to during this past decade. I challenge you to reflect on each of them and how they apply to your life.

¹⁷And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (Revelations 1:17, KJV)

²² And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³ The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? ²⁵ And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? ²⁶ If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? (Luke 12:22-26, KJV)

¹⁰ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10, KJV)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ² Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³ Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. ⁴ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. ⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. ⁶ The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. ⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. (Psalm 46:1-7, KJV)

2. Retirement is not necessarily in God’s plan for us. 

Our modern view of retirement is just that – a recent idea, historically speaking. It was introduced to America in the mid-1930s with the passage of the Social Security legislation. Most of the heroes of the faith found God’s calling to ministry to be a lifetime enlistment. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, John the Baptist, John the Apostle, Peter and Paul all were faithful servants until they were called home. I can find only one scriptural passage that directly speaks of retirement.

²⁴ This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: ²⁵ And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: ²⁶ But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. (Numbers 8:24-26)

The Levites were charged with serving the people of Israel by caring for the tabernacle, preparing and administering the sacrifices, packing up, moving and reassembling the tabernacle. This was extremely heavy labor and was reserved for the young and strong. The older Levites were given the task of ministering, guarding and advising the younger Levites who were doing the heavy lifting that required the strength of young bodies.

3. There is a special place in God’s economy for seniors.

Beside the Numbers passage above where the senior Levites were called to minister, guard and advise the younger Levites, there are other passages that indicate what the elders in the congregation should do.

¹⁷ O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. ¹⁸ Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. ¹⁹ Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! ²⁰ Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. ²¹ Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. (Psalm 71:17-21, KJV)

¹² The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹³ Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; ¹⁵ To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (Psalm 92:12-15, KJV)

³ Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: ⁴ And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar [gray] hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. ⁵ To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? (Isaiah 46:3-5, KJV)

4. Obey the scriptural commandments and commissions.

It matters not how old we are, God expects us to obey all of his commandments. However, there are some that are very special and deserve our utmost attention.

³⁵ Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, ³⁶ Master, which is the great commandment in the law? ³⁷ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Great Commandment – Matthew 22:35-40, KJV)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Great Commission – Matthew 28:18-20, KJV)

²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Creation Mandate – Genesis 1:27-28, KJV)

5. Watch carefully. Always be on guard.

You need to constantly take stock of your surroundings. Know your friends, coworkers, and enemies. Praise them when they do something right. Admonish them when they are wrong. Be patient with everyone in all circumstances. Pray without ceasing and give thanks without regard to your condition.

¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. ¹² And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. ¹⁵ See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. ¹⁶ Rejoice evermore. ¹⁷ Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ¹⁹ Quench not the Spirit. ²⁰ Despise not prophesyings. ²¹ Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. ²² Abstain from all appearance of evil. ²³ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Watch carefully – I Thessalonians 5:11-21, KJV)

6. Equip yourself for the coming battle.

Whether we are talking about a job, a ministry, or even just everyday living, it can and will at some point become a battle. We need the whole armour of God to fight the battle.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ( Whole armour of God – Ephesians 6:11-18, KJV)

7. Memorize and meditate on scriptures.

The only offensive weapon in the listing of the armour of God was the scriptures. Always have it handy. Be ready to depend on it in every circumstance.

¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. ¹¹ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. ¹² Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. ¹³ With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. ¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. ¹⁵ I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. ¹⁶ I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. ¹⁷ Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. ¹⁸ Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. ¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me. (Memorize and meditate on scriptures – Psalm 119:10-19, JKV)

8. Give yourself to God, since He gave himself for you.

We must present ourselves as a sacrifice, willing to do anything we are asked to do. It is our reasonable service.

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Be a living sacrifice – Romans 12:1-2, KJV)

9. Do everything as unto the Lord.

Whatever we do should be done as if we were doing it to honor and praise God.

¹⁴ And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:14-17, KJV)

This is not just meant for our “religious life.” It carries over to our everyday life. Translating it into “plain English” I believe the message is simply

• • Work hard
  • Play hard
  • Eat well
  • Sleep well
  • Watch carefully
  • Listen intently
  • Be accountable
  • Give credit where credit is due
  • Love deeply

10. Be where you are until you leave.

I wish I could take credit for this saying, but I can’t. Christ used a similar statement in instructing his disciples.

⁷ And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; ⁸ And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: ⁹ But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. ¹⁰ And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. ¹¹ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. (Mark 6:7-11, KJV)

Christ was trying to teach his disciples not to go from house to house seeking better accommodations, but to be satisfied with what they had. I first heard it from a wealthy Christian businessman, financier, and philanthropist, who was known as a generous but demanding boss. When he used it, he was suggesting that people in a given position should do the job they were hired to do until they left for another position.

I met this gentleman only once. The occasion was at a luncheon given in his honor by a college for which I was serving as the chief academic officer. In addition to honoring this individual for his service to the Christian community, the college was also asking him for a significant donation.

When we were introduced at the luncheon, the first thing he said to me was, “I’ve heard about you, and I like you.” I must have had a perplexed look on my face because he continued by saying, “You follow what I have tried to teach all of my employees: “Be where you are until you leave.”

As a college administrator and cabinet officer, I have always served at the pleasure of the President of the institution I was serving. I changed institutions four times during my career and was in the midst of a fifth change when I had the traumatic brain incident in March 2009. For each change, the president and I were on different sides of at least one question.

When the president and a subordinate disagree, the subordinate never “wins.” Even if the president loses, the subordinate doesn’t win. With each change, I had the privilege of continuing to serve the institution for a period of time until I could find another position. While I remained at the institution from which I was departing, I always did my job to the best of my ability. Every one of the presidents that I served commended me for that quality. The Christian businessman, in his due diligence of checking out our institution as a prospective recipient of one of his gifts, had asked two of those presidents about me.

Wherever you are, do the job that God has given you until He assigns you another task. It is the right thing to do. At some time in the future, you will be rewarded for your diligence.

11. Leave people or a place better than you found them.

There are many forms of this quotation. One form attributed to the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi is the following:

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.

Jesus always left those with whom he encountered in a better place or position than when he first met them. Consider the woman at the well, the woman taken in adultery, the blind beggar, Zaacheus in the tree, the 10 lepers, the woman with the issue of blood, Jarius and his daughter, the demon-possessed man named Legion.

The parables of the talents and the unjust steward help us understand that we need to be faithful in the little things.

¹⁰ He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. ¹¹ If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹² And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? (Luke 16:10-12, KJV)

12. Help fellow pilgrims along the road.

We are called to minister to others and help them find the straight and narrow way. The apostle Paul in writing to the Christians in Rome let them know that they should follow Christ’s example. They were definitely called to be “their brothers’ keepers,” just as we are.

¹We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. ³ For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. (Romans 15:1-3, KJV)

These are some of the lessons that I have learned or relearned in the extra 10 years that I have been given. I hope and pray that at the conclusion of my life on this earth, I will be able to echo the words of Paul to the young Timothy:

⁵ But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. ⁶ For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷ I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (II Timothy 4:5-8, KJV)

In conclusion, what would you do if you were given another 10 years of life? How would you spend that precious time? By’s Musings returns to its regular publishing schedule next Tuesday, March 26 with a  post entitled KPI – Part VI: Hierarchical Management.