I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7, 8

Next month I will be 88 years old!  I can hardly believe it.  And Anna Ruth is now 89 already.  We would be irresponsible if we did not come to grips with the fact that we are old!  Quite old.

There is not much we can do to smooth all the rough places that we have passed over in our lives.  We experienced and continue to experience valleys of struggle, mountain tops of elation, roads ahead, straight and narrow, sometimes humdrum but always demanding, and alluring.  We experienced storms and calm, wind and breathless hope.  All of our years are laid out, like a living map.  Did we really come this far?  Did we really manage the ups and downs?  We are here by grace, and only that. God carried us and inspired us all the way.

What of the journey?  How do we feel about it all? We did not win all the battles, but we did fight the good fight of faith.  We believe in the grace and mercy and God more than ever.

The marathon is coming to an end and, praise God, we are still running the race we have been called to run, albeit a bit slower but some wiser. How we managed all those miles in life baffles the mind, but with God we never stopped running, and will continue to run until called by God to break the tape and enjoy a good, long rest.  We are finishing!

As two thankful children, God gave us faith, as a gift, that never wavered since we believed.  That is a miracle of divine grace.  God gave us that faith, we have kept it and cherished it above all things.

We are two seriously, maybe even hilariously, humbled individuals, thankful beyond words to be loved and saved by our Lord Jesus.  Life without Him is absolutely unthinkable.