[blox_column width=”1/1″][/blox_column][blox_heading title=”Our concern must be to live while we are alive…” size=”h3″ style=”style5″ animation=”none”][/blox_heading][blox_text animation=”none”]
…to release our inner selves from the spiritual death
that comes with living behind a façade
designed to conform to eternal definitions of who and what we are.
Wise words from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
As we begin to take some brief looks at the Third3rd of Life in our Circle of Life Mentoring Framework, we are talking about those who are alive from 60 years of age to whenever. Too often these have become years where being retired has been the goal, instead of being committed to being fully alive until one breathes no more.
After Kubler-Ross’ wise words began this post, I digress a bit…intentionally. I know, I own the fact that this is a bad pun, but…….to retire (emphasis on those necessary wheels called tires) is really the exceptional opportunity to retread how one will be committed to living out all of the rest of their days, in all the continuing 8 Dimensions of their own lives.
Yes…all kinds of situations from health to work status to family members passing on to whatever, can take place. However, coming from the faith tradition called Christian, there is nothing in the Bible that encourages one to retire. If anything, this is a time to be even more available to living well, to nourishing and encouraging and mentoring those coming along in age, no matter which Third of Life they are, to be fully alive.
No matter what one’s faith tradition may be,
to be fully alive for all of one’s life
has been celebrated down through the eons of time.
On a recent three week road trip with my wife (she now 70yo, me now 73yo), we had significant opportunity to interact with family members from many branches of our joint family tree. Because of being born when our parents were in their 40’s, we now even have a great-great-great nephew, age 2.
Yes, I do not know when either one of us will slip through that “thin veil,” as the Celts termed death. But until we do, I know we are committed to being as fully alive as possible until, as I’m fond of saying, “…we breathe no more.” Judy’s mother lived to 103. I’m hoping for at least 95, and if that happens, that great-great-great nephew mentioned above will be 24, and I hope he and I have other conversations between now and then.
Of course there are no guarantees to how long one lives.
However, on that road trip I mentioned above, we were listening to an exceptional CD with Rob Bell, one of the finer creative communicators I know of today. The scenery in southern Idaho may have been full of miles of sage brush, but his sage wisdom belied his years. I needed to hear his wise, life-giving words. He was talking from John’s Gospel in the New Testament, Chapter 5, from The Message version of the Bible (one of my personal favorites for pure reading and pondering): I encourage you to read that, then come back to my thoughts here.
The words of Jesus in John 5:17 particularly struck me:
“My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I.”
This is an incredible account of a man who was healed. The ruling religious leaders of the day, not pleased with what this unlearned carpenter, rebel rouser of a man was doing to upset the routines of their well ordered lives, such as healing someone on the “wrong” day, were trying to shut up this Jesus. But there was no stopping him…even to and beyond the earthly end of his life.
For we in the Third3rd, for those of you who will hopefully be there some day, let us be committed to daily becoming retreaded for the journey we have before us, individually and together. We olders may not be moving at the same speed, but may we be committed to not retiring from living life to the full.
…more for those who are,
or will be in the Third3rd of Life,
in the next few posts…
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