| “Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me.” – Joshua 13:10-12 (NLT) Betty Soskin is quite an amazing woman. She is a published author. She is a songwriter. She is an activist who has maintained a strong voice for women, particularly black women. For a number of years, she was a successful businesswoman. But currently she is enjoying a job that she dearly loves. She is a National Park Ranger at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Homefront National Historical Park in Richmond, California. What makes Betty incredible is that she didn’t start working with the Parks Department until she was 84. Still an employee, she turned 100 this past September! Betty could have taken her cue from Caleb in our passage today. At 85 years of age Caleb was still asking “What’s next?” Caleb was bold enough to believe that if he was still breathing, then God wasn’t done with him yet. While many people his age are only wanting a recliner and remote control, Caleb was wanting to take new territory for God. His statement of “Give me the hill country” is a model of resilience for all of us who are starting to notice a few gray hairs and a few snaps, crackles and pops to our bones these days. People are living longer and healthier now than ever before. But what are we going to DO with those years? What is YOUR “hill country?” I want to challenge you to claim the spirit of Caleb and Betty for yourself. If you’re still breathing, then God’s got a job for you to do. No, you may not be able to do what you used to do, but I have no doubt at all that you can still do SOMETHING! I dare you to be BOLD in your golden years. I dare you to reject the lie that all Senior Adults can do is lay in the sun or sit at the table and play checkers. I love the attitude I heard from one older gentleman who said, “I’d rather WEAR out than RUST out!” I’m with you, brother. If God can give life to dead bones, then He can give life to OLD bones! Let’s be like Betty and Caleb. Let’s spend a moment with God and pray from our hearts, “Lord, give us our hill country!” We can sit by the pool when we get to Heaven. That’s God’s Word for you today. |
