Overton 110

I didn’t know of Richard Overton before this past week. Military Appreciation night at the Spurs game couldn’t get better than this! At halftime, donned with a USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor cap, Mr. Overton was wheeled out to center court. It wasn’t until we heard that Mr. Overton was 110 years old, the oldest living veteran, that the crowd went wild. Neither team took the huddle for their time out, but instead just stood and clapped, along with every other person in the stands. For this brief moment, basketball didn’t matter. When Mr. Overton received a special personalized Spurs Jersey with “Overton 110” on it, I think I saw him wipe back a tear. A magical moment!

I can’t imagine all the “life” that Mr. Overton has lived in his 110 years! The stories he could tell! Would Mr. Overton tell us that life went by so fast? What advice would he give to the twenty or thirty somethings? To middle agers? To those retired?

Life has it’s way of flying by. It seems like just yesterday I had graduated from college and moved to Dallas from the midwest. A flurry of life has happened since those days. How did it go so quickly? Maybe you feel the same way. It’s a reminder to me that in the Bible, our lifespan in this body isn’t very long at all.

“Today-at the latest, tomorrow- we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” James 4:13-15, The Message

Your tomorrow is not guaranteed. If the Master wills it and we’re still alive. Wow. Those words remind me of the sacredness of life. I want to lasso life, hold on to it, live gratefully and joy-filled. I don’t want to waste ONE day. I want to make my life count...and make a difference.

What have you been putting off that really matters to you? Where are you serving in this world, providing restoration, redemption and advocacy to those in need? How are you getting outside yourself to live and serve? What’s bugging you that’s not at all bug-worthy? Who do you need to initiate with that might be hurting? Where should you be spending your money that makes a lasting difference? Who do you need to forgive and simple let go of? I think it’s worthy to stop and consider those questions today.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.