Reaching the “Over the Hill” Mark

Have you ever heard someone talk about the “the golden years”? Well from what I’m hearing it’s not really true. Then you’ve probably heard the term, “over the hill”? I thought it was just a big joke, like who is over the hill at 40? Seriously! But I’m finding out by personal experience that this is pretty much the truth. Yikes!

Tuesday morning I woke up and could barely walk (you could call it a shuffle) and all the discomfort was centered in my hip area. If I sat for any length of time I had the hardest time when I would go to stand. Then I started feeling it in my shoulder. Wednesday I called a lady in the area that has been trained in Bowen therapy. She was able to fit me in and as soon as I told her my symptoms she said, “Sciatica”.

Bowen therapy is extremely interesting because they don’t work on you trying to pop things or to apply deep manipulative movements, they just apply gentle pressure to certain points on your body that correspond with your problem. The technique originated in Australia.

It worked for me. By the next morning, I could still feel some soreness in my hip but I was almost able to walk without any problem at all. By that evening, I was almost 100%. It was incredible. And today I wouldn’t even know I’d had any issue.

While I was feeling miserable and unable to get around normally, I was thinking about the blessing of good health. How blessed we are if we can get out in the sunshine, take walks enjoying the fresh air and taking time to just let the responsibilities and pressures of our day slip away, if only for a little while. Those things will be waiting when we get back but for the moment we can bask in the freedom of the great outdoors.

Living in the country, I am able to enjoy nature all around me when I take my walks and I spend that time talking to the One who made it all or to my favorite preacher of all time, Bro. William Branham.  It’s always a special time for me.

Recently we’ve had 3 friends/acquaintances pass away and I have a dear friend who’s in the hospital in a very serious situation as I write this – who is younger than me and hasn’t reached the “over the hill” mark!

What has really struck me through this is we have only one life to live. How are we living it? Do we live it fearfully, afraid to really live or to experience new things? Are we letting fear bind us?

Do we live it fully?  Do we really love those around us, those who have offended us or do we withdraw and shield ourselves from any more possible hurt?

For whatsoever is borned of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. John 5:4

Faith is the victory over worry. Faith is the victory over flusterations. Faith is the victory over the world.

You say, John, when he wrote that, he did not have my troubles. He did not have to deal with the folk that I deal with. He did not have to go through the things that I do. That’s right. He may not had to deal with the same folk. He may not had to overcome the same thing, but he never excluded them. For he said, “This faith is the victory that overcomes the world, the whole thing.”  –William Branham

Although this world is not our home, God doesn’t want us to be miserable while we are here.

The Christian has not one worry in the world. They should be the most freest, happiest people in all the world. ‘Cause there’s nothing… You can’t lose. And all things work together for good to them that love God. So how can we lose? There’s just nothing to lose, is there? We’re just anchored away in Jesus Christ, going home to glory, having a good time while we’re going along, God providing everything for us.  –William Branham

Remember these are all reflections of mine. It doesn’t mean that I’ve arrived; I am just traveling this same life journey that you’re on. Life’s tough and if you live long enough, you experience that. Not fun. But we can have a different perspective — a positive one — because we know the end of the story.