On My Way

“The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”

Muhammad Ali

I hit fifty nearly two years ago, but Muhammad Ali’s quote seems to ring true for me as I draw closer to my fifty-second birthday. I find myself searching. I find myself in a time of rediscovery. I’m learning new things about me. And I’m relearning things about me that I once knew with confidence.

Life is like a long game of hide and go seek.

We can sit on the sideline watching as others play the game. We can be content with stagnating – staying the same, refusing to grow, and resisting the changes that naturally come with life and getting older.

Or we can embrace adventure. We can get in the game constantly finding ways to grow, to move forward, and to discover the newness that awaits us each day.

I started this blog many years ago with the idea of sharing thoughts and experiences on the theme of stretch. How is God stretching me? What stretchmarks are present in my life that are pushing me forward? And how might my stretch thoughts and experiences encourage others?

I haven’t shared here for a while.

Maybe I’ve been on the sideline simply trying to survive the day to day grind.

Maybe I’ve failed to see when and how God is stretching me.

Maybe I’ve been too scared to consider where I need to grow.

Maybe I’ve allowed the busyness or the responsibilities of life to run my life.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live a life on the sideline. I don’t want to be content to stay the same. I don’t want to live a life of regret – regret that I didn’t keep learning, regret that I didn’t risk enough, regret that I stopped stretching.

It’s time to stretch. It’s time to grow. It’s time to be on my way.

“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”

Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible AMP)