On Thriving

I want to be sappy. No, not that way.

Psalm 92:14 says those who walk with God can “still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green.” That’s the New American Standard version. The Message translation says “They’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile still in old age.”

The Living Bible says “even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green.” And the Amplified version is the best: “They will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age.”

Thriving—I like that.

What I mean is, as I grow older, I don’t want to settle.

You know, settle with a body that can no longer climb or bike. Settle with a mind that no longer learns new things. Settle with an income where we barely get by. Settle with a life that fails to touch others the way it once did. Most importantly, I don’t want to settle with a spirit that no longer cares, that no longer dreams and strives.

In short, I want to be sappy.