So, Harriet and I have been watching The Crown, the historical drama series about the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth and the royals of England. It's been an admixture of education, inspiration, comic relief, and memory. One scene has prodded me most. It was a quote by Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother of Prince Phillip, husband of Queen Elizabeth. She was elderly and worn. She said---
There came a moment, around the time I turned 70, when it dawned on me I was no
longer a participant, rather a spectator---then it's just a matter of waiting and not
getting in the way.
Most of my baby boomer friends who have viewed The Crown remember and identify with that scripting. Being 70-ish in exponential times stretches and challenges us, our personal escort through a world changing fast---well, exponentially. Are we ready to be spectators cheering the world on from the stands?
Truthfully, I've never been much of a spectator. My personal achiever strength activated me in most life pursuits. Even more, there is this passion thing that keeps my personal fires burning. Most of the minister cohort will understand the passion ignited by our calling to ministry, God's guidance to redemptive service. Many years ago another Bible verse, what I refer to as my Passion Verse was printed, framed, and displayed on my office wall beside the Life Verse. It reflects my passion still today, the personal drive that keeps me in some measure of the participant category---
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your
might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Psalm 71: 18, ESV
Hey boomer! Gen X'er! Millennial! Gen Z'er! What is your passion? Does it drive your life? Or, is it parked in a remote closet of your mind? It should be your motivating force as long as you live. Be passionate!!!