I don’t know how old you are, or what season of life you find yourself in as you are reading this article. I am 44 years old, and a father to 4 children. It feels like I am in the middle stages of my life. My dad died at the age of 69, three years ago. My life changed forever when that happened. I have learned a lot about myself over these past three years since my dad passed. It is amazing what kind of effect a father can have on a son, especially after they are gone. I miss my dad greatly, but strangely it has forced me to be more in touch with eternity and how quickly the end of my days is approaching. I have thought a lot about the brevity of life and how I am currently living my life.

I often wonder what old age will be like, what it will feel like. To be honest, some days it scares me to grow old. It seems like yesterday I was in my twenties, and today I am in my forty’s. Tomorrow I will be in my sixties, and just like that my life will be over and then slip into eternity.  Will I have any regrets when I am old? Will I have wished that I would have risked more for my kids, my wife, my friends? What fears or insecurities will I have carried with me throughout my whole life? What does a life well-lived look like? These questions are not easy or fun to entertain, but necessary to evaluate even now for how I want the second half of my life to be lived. 

So how do you want to live the rest of your life? What things can you implement even now into your life to ensure that you don’t mostly walk-in regret? Are you pursuing emotional healing to your broken areas? Are you getting help for your addictions? Are you overcoming areas of pain and struggle? It’s difficult. Life is hard. Your life has great value, and you are meant to live a life of influence and impact. Who are you impacting? How much time are you spending with your kids, loving on them, pouring life into them? What about your friends, those who matter most to you? I encourage you to look back now, over your life, and then look forward and ask God for the grace to live fully with no regrets.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12