I recently took a group of middle school youth and high school teens to Carowinds – a theme park in North Carolina. It was the beginning of the end for me. I’m a youth minister – I have been for eleven years – my favorite of favorite parts of my job is taking teens on trips to theme parks. Yes, of course I love taking them on retreat, praying with them, counseling them – all of those things. But going to theme parks is just a blast – I love the rush, the adrenaline – I love it. It makes all the headache of organizing a trip worth it.

Sadly on my most recent trip I realized that while I am still young by all accounts my body is less limber, more fragile, and even less quick to recover then ever before. After our sixth ride of the day I was in some pain – nothing major, just a tense neck. So I reluctantly got on the next ride called “Thunder Road” – this ride should be shut down – taken apart – put in the roller coaster graveyard – this ride should be sued. It was the most jerky and unbelievably painful ride of my life. I got off of the ride with severe pain in my shoulder. I mean severe – I mean if I twitched my fingers I had shooting pain from my shoulder on up to my neck.

So I convinced the kids to hit the water park for awhile. After being in the water for some time the pain subsided and I felt much better. We left the water park and hit some more rides. Thinking I had fully recovered I got on another ride – it was even more painful then the last and I was officially done riding rollercoasters by 4:30pm.

It was no coincidence that I turned thirty three days later. It was t he most painful birthday ever. Not because of sadness from turning thrity – didn’t really care about that. I woke up in worse pain then while on the ride and I spent most of the day laying down in a still position on the floor. My body has let me know that while I am still young – if I don’t get things in shape the process of falling apart has begun. I know – many of you will say something like “wait till you turn forty.” Obviously I am aware that there are more things to come – but still this was a bit of a wake-up call for me. I sadly must face the fact that one of my favorite activities to do with teenagers may have to be done now with some caution. I am not the limber soul that I once was – what’s worse is that if I don’t hurry to get back into shape it is only going to get worse.

Ah, how short life is. We put off those things that are most important because we think we have all the time in the world – but then the realization comes that indeed life is short. I have put off getting in shape for years – since after high school when I first starting putting on weight. I always thought that by now I’d be back into condition. Here I stand at thirty – in the worst shape of my life.

There is no doubt that I am horribly out of shape and overweight – but worse is that there is no doubt that I am spiritually out of shape as well. In fact – I reluctantly admit that spiritually I am probably worse off then I am physically. I am fat with pride, sore from sin, overtired from struggling on my own, I am far from “living gracefully”.

The week before I turned thirty the world was shocked and dismayed by the deaths of four celebrities – three of them at relatively young ages. Michael Jackson died at age 50, Farrah Fawcett at age 62, Billy Mays at age 51, Ed McMahon lived a full life dying at 86 on the same day as Jackson and Fawcett.

I wouldn’t say that any of their death’s had a lasting impact on me other than a little bit of a wake-up call. If I were to die at 50 like Jackson that means I only have 20 years to go. That is not long in the scheme of things. If I am spiritually out of shape I must get on the ball here.

I read the news stories about the deaths and I wondered if the legacy left in the headlines and bilines of the story of their deaths was what they had hoped for in life. As I reflected on my birthday I thought about one of my favorite verses:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. Jeremiah 1:5

I wonder what God dedicated those stars for. Possibly some of it was realized – but what about all the scandal, the strange self-indulgence. Farrah Fawcett’s headline read; “Sex Symbol Farrah Fawcett Dead”. I doubt that when God spoke her into being he said “A Sex Symbol to the Nations I appoint You.” I do not say this with any judgement on Fawcett. My guess is she would have hoped to be remembered for more then being the favorite poster of teenage boys in the 70′s.

I think of these words of God in the book of Jeremiah in my own life. Am I living up to what God dedicated me to be? These words of God to Jeremiah are spoken to all of us. Indeed God spoke each of us into being – with Gods words our purpose in life was willed. Am I living that purpose? If I died today would my headline read the same as the words God spoke of me before I was formed in the womb?

I am spiritually and physically living below what God has called me to. I am called to sainthood and I am living the life of a sinner. As I reflect on Jer. 1:5 I pray that I may discern what words God used when speaking me into being – and I pray that I may seek to get my heart in shape so that when I die the words God spoke of me and the words the world remembers me by are the same.

May you take the time to listen to the words of God in your life. May you also strive to live so that when you die we may all remember you by the same words with which God spoke you into being.

Dear God, with only a word you spoke me into being, I know that you thought of me before I was even conceived in my mother’s womb. It is you who have given me life and breath. It is you who knew my purpose before I was ever a thought in my mother’s mind. Speak my purpose into my ear. Just like Jeremiah may I be ready and willing to hear those words of love in my heart. Help me Father, through your grace, to rid my life of sin and draw closer in my walk with you. May I be exactly what you have called me to be in all areas of my life.

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