"Do you give up before the game starts?"

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Notre Dame and USC play each other in college football next month. Over 80 years ago when they played, Fighting Irish coach Knute Rockne knew USC had a far better team, so he decided to intimidate the Trojans.

Rockne hand-picked 100 of the largest men he could find in South Bend—six-foot-five, three hundred pound men—and put them in Fighting Irish uniforms. At game time, he marched them out ahead of the real team.
As USC watched these giants line up on the sidelines, they forgot how good they were, and began mentally preparing themselves for a beating. Not a single one of those specially recruited men played, but their presence on the sidelines was enough. Knute Rockne intimidated the Trojan players into giving up before the game even started, and Notre Dame won.

Do you give up before the game starts? Don’t be intimidated by what appears to be real in your life. What appears real is just that oftentimes—an appearance only. Stay confident as you ask God to show you the difference. Then listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Are you making a life?"

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Last month my wife and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary. I wondered with you what I would do for an encore to our most excellent 25th celebration.

Well, in response to that story, I received an email from a friend whom I’ve never met except through email. She’s in an assisted living facility now and I’d guess her age is around 90.

She wrote, "Best wishes for a very happy anniversary. May you have many, many more. Old age is great!"

What you don’t know is that her husband is deceased and she lives near her children. She sold off many of her possessions in downsizing to an apartment. She’s outlived most of her peers. She hurts daily in places she didn’t know she had previously.

And yet, she’s taken the time and energy to learn how to email. She’s emailing me, someone she’s never met.
She’s wishing me many, many more anniversaries. And she says, "Old age is great!"

I’d say she knows how to make a life, not just a living, wouldn’t you?

(Discover how you can Stay Married Forever at www.StayMarriedForever.org.)

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"How's your child inside?"

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I told you about a month ago about my being accustomed to receiving free coffee with my breakfast, but now I’m getting a free beverage with lunch. And when I told my wife about it, she said, "Promise me you’ll keep that little kid alive in you forever; no matter how many senior beverages you get."

Well, a social worker in a nursing home emailed me to say, "Your wife is right about the kid inside of you. I play for our local senior coed softball team and we are all over 50 years of age. I turned 52 last week and am considered young as we have two players in their 70s. I catch for our pitcher who is 79 and this season he took two line drive hits that would have knocked a younger man to the ground. He is still farming and watching him on the ball field is truly inspirational." Then she wrote, "You are only as old as the child inside."

This social worker listens to her life and has discovered that ageless part of herself—the image and likeness of God inside of her. You can, too! Just listen to life like a child and make a life today.

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"Got change?"

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My younger brother and I were together at a speaking engagement I did recently which was a real treat for me. He’s only about three years younger than me so we have lots of great memories of growing up years.

I had spoken to this group before. A woman approached my brother before the presentation began and said, "Are you here with Dr. Joey?" My brother said he was and she said, "We just love Dr. Joey. Now are you his son or his brother?" Of course my brother loved that and couldn’t wait to tell me.

Later he sent me an email story about a woman who went back to college at 87 years young. She spoke to her school’s football banquet and said, "If you are 19 years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old. If I am 87 years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88. Anybody can turn older. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change."

She’s right, you know. Since growing older brings change, where’s your opportunity to grow up? Ask God and then listen to your life.

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"Growing older?"

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Last month, I shared with you some of my Listen to Life experiences in growing older at midlife such as being given senior beverages without asking or being old enough to receive them. And did I mention that people repeatedly ask my wife if she’s my older daughter?

Well, evidently there are lots of us enjoying growing older at midlife because the emails poured in from our website at www.ListentoLife.org. A woman who turned 50 this year wrote to ask, "You know how I tell my age? I tell my friends, ‘I’m not at the dawn of my life, nor at the dusk of life. The sun shines brightest at noon day. These are the years I will shine my most brilliant and I intend to no matter what I do. Though the vessel changes, the clay remains the same.’"

That’s really good, don’t you think? "The sun shines brightest at noon day." I have lots of opportunities to shine as my head grows balder daily!

She included a PS: "Take the senior discounts!"

Life is fun every day God gives you, isn’t it? So whatever age you are, enjoy yourself as you make a life, not just a living today.

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