“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. (Acts 7:23 NKJV)
“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. (Acts 7:30 NKJV)
I’m blessed to turn 40 today and it’s got me thinking: what can I start now? Moses was 40 when his life took a dramatic turn. After living in Pharaoh’s house as a prince of Egypt, God put it in his heart to visit the people of his heritage and start down the path toward their deliverance. Then at age 80, after another 40 years of tending sheep in the desert, God spoke to him from a burning bush, commissioning him to free the children of Israel from slavery. After that he wandered the desert for 40 years leading a nation of more than a million people to the brink of the promised land.
This encourages me because it shows God can use us to do great things at any age. We just need to keep our hearts and minds opened to God’s leading like Moses. If Moses could endure a career change at 40 and begin leading a nation at 80, what can we do if we start now?
It’s not too late for us to go back to school or start our own businesses. It’s not too late to lend our strength, talents, and expertise to help community organizations. It’s not too late to make a meaningful impact in the life of a child. It’s never too late to make our contribution to the world. It’s never too late to decide to make our lives count.
No matter what age we may be, or how large the task may seem, with God’s help, we can start now.