Why my 50s are Better than my 30s

They say that 50 is the new 30.  That's because baby boomers are living longer and in better health at that age than in previous generations.  I'm not sure about all that, but I do know this: I’m embracing this season of my life and enjoying it.  Here are my top ten reasons why:

1.  In my 30s I stressed out if either one of my sons didn’t get a hit in a baseball game.  Now in my 50s, I’m perfectly content watching my grandson smile and look happy.

2.  In my 30s I strained the budget to make payments on a shiny new car.  In my 50s I’m happy to drive an old beater.

3.  In my 30s I wanted to make a name for myself.  In my 50s I’m excited about creating a platform for younger leaders.

4.  In my 30s waiting in line at Wal-Mart drove me crazy!  In my 50s it doesn’t bother me.  Well, it doesn't bother me as much.  I'm still working on this one.  Sorry for lying :-)

5.  In my 30s I wanted to be the perfect parent so that my kids would turn out awesome.  In my 50s I realize that (for the most part) kids are going to turn out how they’ll turn out.  Both my sons are pretty awesome, but it’s not because of me.

6.  In my 30s I was happily married.  Now in my 50s I’m still happily marred to the same person and I’m stoked that I get to spend the rest of my life with her.

7.  In my 30s politics fired me up.  In my 50s not so much.  I’ve been living long enough to see fourteen presidential terms come and go and now realize that things haven't changed very much...  regardless of which party was in the White House.  So why get so worked up?  More and more I rest in the fact that God is still sovereign and the sun still comes up tomorrow.

8.  In my 30s the idea of dying wasn’t even on my radar.  I was ten feet tall and bullet proof.  In my 50s I still would like to hang around as long as possible, but I accept the fact that I now have less time in front of me than I have already lived.  Besides, when I get to heaven there’s a few people I would like to see again.

9.  In my 30s my theology was pretty brittle.  Most of the things I believed in were black-and-white and I really couldn’t understand why others didn’t believe like I did.  I was eager to debate and argue.  In my 50s I find my theology is much more flexible.  In fact, once you get past the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus, there aren’t a lot of things to argue about.

10.  In my 30s I had to get ahead.  In my 50s I’m enjoying the journey.

Being in my 50s isn’t ideal.  I have aches in places where I didn’t know I had bones.  My body won’t do near as much as my mind thinks it can.  But I am not longing for a previous decade.  That's a fools paradise.  They say 50 is the new 30 so I’m going to enjoy it.  Now, if I can only find my car keys.