"…Death is universal, everybody dies, but not everyone lives…" Seventy-two year old, Dr. Ken Cooper (founder of Dallas’ Cooper Clinic) made this observation in an interview with author Bob Buford (Finishing Well). He goes on to say, "I don’t know how long I’m going to live….It doesn’t make any difference to me. If I die tomorrow, that’s fine. I’m ready to go. But I want to live until that last moment."
He says that one can be "bored sick." Cooper spoke of a retirement syndrome " …that brings depression, anxieties, frustrations, suicide" etc.
An observation. For years, I’ve noticed that people will often "shut down" at some point in their lives. Up until that point, they might live with purpose and direction. They may even be passionate about some aspect of their lives. But something happens. The children all leave home. The last child marries. He or she backs away from a very challenging ministry that had captivated them in previous years. Often this person seems to loose any real passion for life. You can see the boredom in their eyes.
Maybe this caught my attention because of a conversation that I had the other day while watching our youngest daughter’s volleyball game. She is a senior and I am very aware that this is a special time–a special never to be repeated again time. I was visiting with a friend during the game and he asked me, "What are you going to do next year?" Jamie will be away at college and it will just be Charlotte and I at home. My answer, "I’m not sure." I do know that it will be different.
I really like what Ken Cooper’s statement, "I want to live until that last moment." No matter the age, circumstances, etc., I want to live. I don’t want to have the boredom glaze in my eyes one day. I don’t want to coast, being passive and just waiting for something to happen.
I am grateful that the life that we receive through Jesus is not based on what is happening to me externally. With Jesus, my life is not meaningless or purposeless at any moment. Nor, is the value of my life dependent on the value that others place on it.
Does a person really have to shut down? Have you experienced the temptation to do so? Have you known other people who go through various experiences and stages of life but who always seem to keep their passion for God and for really living?