Enjoying life to the fullest is easy for most children, but too many of us lose our way as the years pass by.
As I've entered middle age it makes me sad to see some folks my age seeming to lose sight of what's really important in life.
Life as an adult is sometimes unavoidably stressful, but sometimes we make it much worse than it has to be. I've been guilty of it myself. I can look back on times in my career when I was stressed out about my performance even though things were actually going very well. The older and wiser version of me realizes that I didn't know how good I had it then, and I trust God to see me through whatever challenges lie ahead.
For the most part, I've been pretty good about getting the most out of life.
My father died much younger than we expected, and we had a lot of plans that were left unfinished.
That had a profound effect on what kind of father I became. I know how much my father meant to me, and I know that my time with my own children is not guaranteed.
That's why I'm often willing to work late into the night to be sure that I'm able to make it to one of our children's ballgames or school programs.
It's why I'm willing to race to the nearest pond with just a half hour of daylight left because the kids want to go fishing.
It's why I'm not the least bit afraid to turn off the cell phone so that they can have my undivided attention while we're experiencing our latest adventure.
I've always thought that I fully appreciated the good things in life, but recent events have forced me to realize that good health is one of life's great blessings that I have taken for granted.
About a month ago I had surgery on my knee. The recovery began with pain unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I was no stranger to pain. I went weeks without a good night's sleep, which added to the miserable experience.
But the hardest thing for me was not being able to get out and do the things that I wanted to do. We had to cancel a camping trip we had planned, and the kids had trouble understanding why I suddenly was unable to do things like take them exploring creeks for petrified wood and fossils or other adventures that are regularly scheduled events for our family.
Last week I was finally able to take them fishing again. We had a successful outing, and we caught some pretty big fish, but I spent most of the time thinking about how good I had it. The blessing of good health suddenly came into sharp focus. I don't think I'll ever take it for granted again.
If you have your health, you have enough. You won't have it forever, so please make the most of it while you do.
