Devotion in Motion: The Country Preacher Dad Turns 50

5 ¶ Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  Colossians 4:5  (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

Today, something wonderful is happening. It’s something I’ve looked forward to for the past 25 years.  I am turning 50-years-old today.

My excitement about turning 50 started when my sister, Cathie, was about to turn 30. We were visiting with our mother, and Cathie said she was sort of dreading hitting “the big three-oh.” My mom said, “Oh my goodness! Why are you worrying about turning 30? What YOU want to be is 50.  Everything is better when you’re 50. You look better, you feel better, and your life is in a better place.” So, ever since my mom said that, well, I’ve really been looking forward to turning 50. She seemed pretty sure of herself when she said it.

Are all the things my mother said about the half-century-mark true? To be truthful, I don’t know if I actually “look better”now that I’m 50. But I don’t give too much thought to the way I look anymore. I try to keep myself healthy, attractive, neat, and clean. But past that, there’s not much I can do to help my situation. I pretty much just look like all the other people who are turning 50. There’s just a lot less pressure than when I was 18.

Do I feel better since I’m 50? I think so. I had health problems when I was younger, and those have improved. As I get older, I find myself having more aches and pains. But all the other folks have more aches and pains, too. At least I’m fitting in with my peer group!

Is my life in a better place? In a lot of ways, it is. When my sons were babies, I had an aggravating set of problems. For instance, when Spencer was crawling, you had to watch him every second. If you turned your back, he would take the used coffee grounds out of the trash (and eat them) after he finger-painted with them on the kitchen floor.

And when Seth began crawling, if you didn’t watch him, he would put a whole roll of toilet paper in the commode. It always made me cringe because our money was tight, and it was hard to afford toilet paper. Now that my boys are older, my life still has its problems. But at least I have a different set of problems. With the boys being older, they do a lot of things to help their own situations (and mine). So is my life in a better place? Right off the top of my head, I have no major complaints.

Something I’ve noticed is that 50 is not nearly as old as I used to think it was. The years have gone by very quickly. And I don’t feel “old” at all.  Inside, I’m still the person I’ve always been — the same person I was when I was a child, even.

Most of all, I’m happy to be turning 50 because it means I’m having another birthday. I don’t understand people who throw a big fit because they’re getting a year older. Did you ever stop to think what happens when you stop having birthdays? I want to have as many birthdays as the Lord will give me, so I can finish the things He would have me do in this life.

So let’s make the most of this new week.  There are a lot of things we need to do for Him here — before we serve Him forever for all eternity.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he works at a public school.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the Preacher received an application for AARP in the mail.) He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.