Turning 50

It's almost official. I'm turning fifty tomorrow. Nope, I'm not going to hide it. In fact, I kind of like it. They say fifty is the new forty. Sounds like something someone who hates getting older would say. What I say is that it arrived too fast and that it kind of just snuck up on me and whereas fifty used to sound ancient, now that I'm here, it doesn't really sound that old at all.

Evidently Hugh Grant (British actor) and I share the same birthday. He's turning 50 tomorrow too. Hope he's having the life he envisioned. I know my real life is much better than the one I imagined.

There are a few things about fifty that I don't enjoy, but I'll get to that later. For now, being an optimist, I'll dwell first on the positives.

Things that are great about fifty:

1. Experience in life. As a Christian, a father, husband, surgeon (and in almost any other category I can think of) the old adage, "Been there, done that" means I don't get scared much anymore. Advice for those of you seeking out a surgeon: pick one with some gray hair. I'm not sure how many times I've been asked to come into the O.R. by a surgeon of lesser age and experience to ask what I think. Just because the young buck has been recently trained doesn't mean you should trust your life to him or her. In surgery the hand is tipped in favor of the experienced. It's rare that I encounter something entirely new; almost always there is a few cases under my belt where I can pull helpful experience.

2. More stability from years of fiscal responsibility. I'm not rich by any means (the missionary life has certainly not paid off in dollars, huh?) but I've never been too lavish and that has made it easier to do things I think are of real value such as medical outreach in Africa.

3. My sons are getting older, taking care of more things themselves. What a joy to see them taking on more responsibility and becoming Christlike in servanthood and leadership. I still have one at home, but not for many more years and then I'll have even more freedom to travel.

4. I used to struggle with obsessive compulsive disease. As I've gotten older, I understand myself better, recognizing junk thoughts as just that and I don't freak out about them. Seems like the old OCD tends to burn out as we age.

5. Since many of my life's education goals have long been met, I can concentrate on a few other pursuits such as writing.

6. In the last decade, I've come to understand the divine concept of Grace a lot more. That makes life more enjoyable. I still struggle and mess up, but hopefully I don't stay down on myself as long as I used to.

7. Life experiences can be mined for lessons learned and illustrations that can help others along the way. I love to tell stories from life that can help others along the path. The older I get, the more I collect. This is where a not-so-perfect life comes in handy. If I goof up, hopefully at least I'll get a good sermon illustration.

8. With every life decision, you have more history to pull from to assist you in making choices based on right priorities. I've been down enough pathways to know which ones I want to take and a few I want to avoid.

9. With age and experience, I've come to a fresh place of knowing how needy for God I am. When you are young and full of yourself, pride just makes you stumble. I'm old enough to know I need grace every second.

10. With older sons, I can begin to relate more man to man, advising and standing clear to watch the results.

OK, what don't I like? It's harder to maintain my weight. My hair has turned white and is very thin up top, not the best situation for a guy named, "Harry." I have less years to be involved in Christian mission. My mind is slower than it used to be, names are more difficult to retrieve, and my hearing is less than perfect. On the bright side, I've recently trimmed off ten pounds and started an exercise program and still don't need reading glasses (good thing, one more thing to lose!).

Oh, yea, I almost forgot. I share my birthday with a very special man: my father. I was born on his 35th birthday. That means that he'll be 85 tomorrow when I turn 50. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Grace,

Harry Lee