You’re halfway there
Defining a halfway point when it comes to anything in life or time, has to be one of the most subjective tasks known to man. Let me try to put into words what my brain has been pondering for weeks now, since I started writing this in my head…
Only the Lord knows our last day, right? He knows the precise moment our eyes will open and subsequently close for the final time. Statistically speaking (I love saying this), women in America live to be about 80, and their handsome counterparts, 77. For the sake of totally skewed results and the fact they didn’t factor in the tiny humans who unfortunately pass away in childhood, I’m going to use the number seventy as our average number of years lived.
Alright now that we’ve made that clear as mud, let’s continue. Half of seventy appears to be thirty-five, doesn’t it? One could objectively look at data and believe that (based on “experts” aka g**gle), our thirty- fifth birthday marks the fifty-percent completion mark of our entire existence.
I’m 36 at the time of this writing.
And as I type these words I suppose I’m slowly dwindling away the last 49.65% of my life by pecking on this keyboard during the wee morning hours. That’s beside the point.. what I’m trying to stir up in you, and me, is that your “halfway” and mine are entirely different. You may also be 36, but 75% of the way through your time spent living on Earth. Or even 30% if you are a lucky centenarian.
Why this morbid subject? Well to be honest I am not really sure. A few weeks ago the Lord impressed this “half way there” topic on me and I couldn’t figure out why. Typically I write the body of a blog, essay, story, etc prior to coming up with a (maybe not-so) clever title for it. But this time was unique. I shared this with my husband and he couldn’t surmise what on Earth it meant either. So I didn’t write, I just listened and observed. In my waiting on the answer, I spent many usual days at home, along with a few Wednesdays at our local market.
Ahh the beloved Wednesday. “Hump” Day we called it at work, celebrating it like the half way mark it was. Now Wednesdays look different for me, and we spend our “week half done” day out of the house, collecting produce and playing in the sunshine with our friends. Unknowingly, these mid-week market runs have broken up our schedule into two halves and I’m totally refreshed by it. Actually, it made me realize what this “half way there” message was all about. Here’s some examples you may be able to relate to (and follow where I’m going here)
It’s 11am, the toddler is in his second bath of the day because he stepped in chicken (or is it turkey?) poop again and is covered in garden soil and mashed up avocado from breakfast. He loudly declares “no bath” as you alligator wrestle him into the warm water, bribing him with frozen blueberries if he just gets clean for one minute. He begrudgingly cooperates. By one, he’s down for his nap and it’s time to finish morning lessons with the big kids. You take a big breath, eat some cold food and realize that it’s early afternoon! You’ve made it- you’re halfway to bedtime. A second wind washes over you as you finish the race marked ahead.
You’re halfway there.
Morning sickness has seemingly subsided and the cute little belly you had before has overtaken whatever hope your jeans’ button had of closing. The baby dances all around, somersaulting on your bladder and your lower back starts to ache. You’ve pinned all the cute baby stuff, natural birth techniques and postpartum meals. You dream of just being done with pregnancy so you can finally hold your baby. The next twenty weeks or so cannot go by fast enough in your mind.
You’re halfway there.
College seems like it will never end. The unfamiliarity of the first year has come and gone, and there’s this blur of sameness in its place. Day in and out, you go where you’re told, do what they say, and study what they teach. You’re both subjectively and objectively “graded” in your ability to regurgitate what you retained from lecture, and judged henceforth ever-so harshly on what you’ve forgotten. You long for the day you cross that stage in the grossly overpriced, shiny, hot, itchy nylon gown. If you could only get to that day where the signed, rolled-up paper is in your hands, your life could “really start.”
You’re halfway there.
You said yes! That gorgeous ring on your hand, the smiling, shaking, borderline nauseous man on his knee asked you the biggest question of your life, and much to his relief, you happily obliged! You were so excited you couldn’t wait even a minute to call and send pictures to everyone you know. By dinner that night, you’re chatting his ear off, pen and paper in hand, planning out the big day, the honeymoon, and all the other “oh honey” moments. By morning, the perfect venue is chosen and bridesmaids have been sent that pastel-colored dress choice. 158 days and counting girls, let’s do this!
You’re halfway there.
Nine years old seems old enough right? You’ve gotten through a few years of school, you care for your younger siblings at home, and you make good choices most of the time. So why can’t mom and dad see that? Why do they treat you like a child when you’re fifty percent of an adult? You can handle those scary movies and that full-time extracurricular schedule right? “Man”, you say to yourself, “nine more years and I’ll be a grown up and can do whatever I want, then they’ll see.”
You’re halfway there.
By now I think you understand, right? As a society,
We. Rush. Everything!
Why do we do this? Have you ever contemplated that? I sure have over the last few weeks. Why do we celebrate the week being halfway through? Why do we rush to the next thing while missing out on the life that’s happening today. If we had a remote for our lives, we’d skip the ads, fast-forward through the hard parts and record (and watch later) the momentous occasions without a second thought. What I’ve felt the Lord saying to me loud and clear since this thought of “half way” came to me, is that we are called to live for today. I don’t mean in a careless never plan for the future sort of way (see 1 Peter 3:15) but in a Matthew 6:34 light….
Do not worry about tomorrow, don’t be anxious to rush and rush to the next thing in life. You may be half way to it now or unbeknownst to you, already there.
We have to take hold of this fast-paced habit. We need to savor moments. The Bible says today has enough to be anxious about,. So why do we spend today wishing for tomorrow?
I’m 36 today. And that’s all I know. I’m fully aware now that I have spent the majority of my life buzzing from one flower to the next, looking for the sweetest nectar. I’m only now realizing that the best place to be is the present. We are given only one life, and at the risk of sounding too cliche, only today is promised.
Make a sound effort to not calculate where you are on the path. Don’t wish for the end, the next milestone, the current season to subside. Just enjoy this halfway spot. Savor the moments. Be still, and know that God has it all worked out.