We come now to the final stage of our earthly journey. In the opening pages of this chapter John says he will be brief because this stage he has not lived yet. I've found as I've moved through this book the last few chapters have been more difficult to write on, and I feel it is for that same reason. I have occupied the office of a King, but haven't fully lived that stage yet. For this final stage of the Sage, age and experience have not brought me to this point yet, and so as I write I'm guessing what will come out is the desire of my heart in the one I'm searching for, and what I hope to be someday, as well as a challenge for all men who are reaching this stage.
One thing I want to point out right from the start is this quote "An important reminder that mentors and fathers need not be physically present, nor even still living." John talks about his process of writing, and how one of the inspirations he drew upon for this book was author Norman Maclean, who died in 1990. He drew from his style and says that "I sat at his feet." This past weekend my pastor finished a series on the life of David and talked about leaving a legacy. One thing he mentioned was journaling. You record your thoughts and revelations in your own hand writing and your children and grandchildren are able to learn from you still. Since I've really started blogging a lot, my journaling has dropped to almost non-existent, but I really want to change that. Yes, these posts to contain my heart and insights, but there is something incredibly personal about your own hand writing.
And so as we journey through life, let us keep records. My favorite Bible is a wide margin NASB, I'm still working on filling the margins. I saw a couple of years ago that someone made a loose leaf Bible, one that went into a three ring binder, also with wide margins. I think this would be a phenomenal thing because the pages could easily be copied for each of your children. They could see what spoke to your heart, and how you grew through the years of your journey with God. Let them see a living, growing relationship with God, and let them have the record of it. A Godly legacy carries on even after we are gone.
And so as we begin to explore the Sage we must remember that we aren't done working and journeying until we are dead. As long as we still have breath, we still have a job to do. This idea is one we have lost in our current American culture. Retirement for many signifies time to take it easy and enjoy the remaining years. I heard on the radio a couple of months ago a man's ambitions for his retirement. He planned to move someplace warm, wake up, eat breakfast, go out and golf nine holes, come in for lunch and a nap, then after waking up go out and golf another nine holes before dinner and bed. That was the ambition he was seeking. "This is the point at which most men retire to Sun City, spend their days at bingo or in front of the History Channel." The thought of that makes me cringe.
That is not my ambition, honestly I find the thought of it quite boring. I don't want to just fade into obscurity, living off of society (which I probably won't be able to do anyway). I want my life to matter right up to the end. I want to finish well, and leave a legacy worthy of a Man of God. "This is the heart of the Sage - to make his greatest contribution with the last years of his life."
In his final book, published after his death, Mclean says this in the preface, "The problem of self-identity is not just a problem for the young. It is a problem all the time. Perhaps the problem. It should haunt old age, and when it no longer does it should tell you that you are dead... While the oxygen lasts, there are still new things to love, especially if compassion is a form of love." Think about that. Again, as long as we are still breathing, we have a job to do. In the beginning God formed man from the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. He then placed man in a garden to tend it. He was given life so that he might take care of creation (Genesis 2.7-9, 15-17). He had breath and a job to do, and that is still the case today. As long as we are still breathing we have a job to do.
Retirement is not the time to take it easy, but to invest. It is the time to be the Sage to younger men. No matter how old you are, you still have a job to do, finish well.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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