Think a minute…Not long ago a 102-year-old woman was playing a game of golf. On a 100-yard long hole she thought she had lost her ball. Then she discovered she had hit it straight into the cup. A record hole-in-one by a 102-year-old woman! Who says we don’t get better with age!
For many years Othmar Ammann was an engineer for the Port of New York City. But he knew he still had plenty of good years and plans ahead of him. He decided to leave his secure government job to try to fulfill his dreams as a designer and start his own engineering company.
Othmar Ammann was not afraid to step out of his comfort zone, so our world is full of many magnificent monuments that he masterfully designed and built: the airport at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., the Iranian highway system, the New Jersey and Connecticut turnpikes, the U.S. Navy’s 600-foot radio telescope, and what was then the world’s longest suspension bridge in New York City.
To this day, designers and engineers still talk about Othmar Ammann’s many masterpieces. Actually, two of his greatest accomplishments that we did not mention were New York City’s George Washington Bridge and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge—since he did those before his so-called “retirement.” Amazingly, the majority of Othmar Amman’s engineering masterworks were built after he “retired” at the age of 60. The last one Othmar designed and built was the longest bridge in the world at that time—when Othmar was 86-years-old!
The fact is we all were designed to keep building a better life and character all the way to the end. Recently I heard a successful man say: “I don’t want to have to look back for the best I’ve done in my life. If I peaked in the past, then I’ll never fully become the man I was born to be.” It’s been said that life’s greatest achievement is to finish it well.
Sadly, not everyone gets better with age. In fact, some people’s character flaws and weaknesses seem to grow worse as they grow older. As a wise leader sadly observed: “Most people do not change much.” But the great news is you can be one of those few good men and women who choose to start changing today. Will you wholeheartedly ask Jesus to forgive you and take charge of your heart for the rest of your life. Only He can help you keep growing in your character, so you will get better with age and finish your life according to His awesome master plan for you. Just think a minute…