IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE LIVING

in America these days without facing fear on some level. It’s been a pretty dark year so far. And ironic. A year ago, enter a bank wearing a mask and you would be in big trouble. Today, enter that same bank without a mask and … well, you get the idea. Masks signify our fear of being robbed … be it by a bad person or a novel coronavirus.

 

WE ARE JUST VICTIMS

of pandemic, societal and political divisiveness, rioting and murders in our streets. Victims of being scammed. Older adults lost an estimated $2.9 billion in 2018 from financial exploitation according to the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Probably more this year. We say all this is someone else’s fault, certainly not yours or mine, and there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. We are just victims. Like everyone else.

 

Okay, the truth is there are several things I (we) can do about it. Here is one. I can vote. It’s something I’ve done every year since I was old enough. Over the years I’ve pick some winners and some losers. And I will pick again this year. It’s what I get to do in America. I get to pick. I have a choice. A lot of people have died to make sure I can do it. This is why I never waste it. It’s one big reason voting is so precious to me. A reminder that I am not a victim unless I choose to be.

 

AS PAID UP ACTIVE MEMBERS

in Life’s Third Age (60+ adults), here’s something else you and I get to do that victims don’t. We get to bring to the table a kind of ‘earned’ perspective on what we see happening to the world we’ve helped create. This sort of perspective is especially important when we think about yours and my children and their children and their children’s children and … well, you get the idea. It is a part of our legacy.

 

‘EARNED’ PERSPECTIVE

is understanding the relative importance of things as seen from a certain viewpoint. My own ‘certain viewpoint’ comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the reliability of the Holy Scriptures. It results from one of the most powerful equations we are handed in life.

 

CHOICE + ACTION = ‘EARNED’ PERSPECTIVE

 

There is a time-honored act of forgiveness among amateur golfers referred to as a ‘mulligan,’ or a ‘do over.’ A bad ‘choice + action’ will result in a bad shot off the tee. If I’m   lucky, my fellow golfers may say, “Take a mulligan.” Looking back on my life there is a mulligan or two … (maybe three? … okay, never mind), that I would like to take. Do overs. But mulligans in golf are much easier to come by than mulligans in life.

 

‘Earned’ perspective requires my taking responsibility for my choices, good or bad. ‘Do over’ forgiveness can make my next shot at the stuff of life easier and better, cutting down on time spent in the rough. But I can only ‘do over’ so many times before my effort turns into excuse.

 

HOW DOES ONE ‘EARN’ PERSPECTIVE?

Time spent in the rough looking for your ball is frustrating, not only for you, but also for those standing by, hoping you will get it right next time. Don’t give up. It is part of the ‘earning process’ we all endure because we are human. Be in the rough on every hole, however, and soon no one wants to join you on the course.

 

A good golfer (or leader) doesn’t just happen. He/she is one who pays attention (to sound instruction from a good teacher), practices (repetition affirms giftedness and sharpens skills), and plays with humility (always from a ‘certain viewpoint’). As in golf, so in life.

 

WE’RE ALL AMATEURS HERE

in this game we call ‘life.’ So as you prepare to ‘tee off’ today, take a last look on where you hope your life will go. Is it the best you can do? Are you sure? Is your life perspective built on a ‘certain viewpoint?’ Or do you know already you need a ‘mulligan?’

 

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” ~Psalm 143:8

 

I have chosen to play life’s game with the Best. To pay attention. To practice in His presence. To play with humility. This is how we ‘earn’ true perspective.

 

And ‘earned’ perspective is what shapes our living legacy.