Are Your Best Days Behind You?

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I heard someone say that his best days were during his high school years. Not for me. My high school years could be described as “awkward” at best. But this exercise created a series of questions in my mind: what were my best days and why? Could they have been my college years, or my early 20’s or the productive 30’s? They all had highlights and yet I couldn’t decide even on a decade. I have struggled with answering that question until I realized that I deeply believe that my best days are still to come.

Best days behind you maurilio amorim

I don’t know about you, but if I allow myself to think that the best life has to offer is already past, I would have a very tough time carrying on the status quo. As part of my Christian faith, I know that my days are ordained and redeemed by God. I also know that I’m made for a purpose that’s much bigger than me.

I’m not done. There’s so much room to grow and learn and create and accomplish. I don’t think this is unbridled optimism on my part, but a worldview that keeps me growing and reaching forward in order to fulfill what I believe God has in store for me.

What about you? Do you really see your future with optimism?

  • jeff Williams

    Great perspective, Maurilio. As a Christian sometimes I forget that God is not done with me and that He has a purpose for my life. I can't imagine living without faith.

  • Jan

    Most days I do. One year ago I resigned from a job I loved. I felt directed by God but I also felt forced out too. After 11 years at this job, I felt rejected when a new boss came in. (I was a worship pastor) I felt led by God to start a non-profit for training church leaders in the area of worship and our first year has been wonderful and exciting. But it's also been lonely, had huge adaptations and changes, and been remarkable painful and uncertain as well.

    My one fear for myself as I view my future is that I feel much more cynical now than ever before in my life. I have new questions. No answers. I feel very leery at church and don't trust or jump into things like I once did. I saw so many hurtful things and struggle so much with what I saw and experienced. So I am tentative about the future. Everything feels turned upside down.

    I worked most of my adult life as a worship pastor. In a church. Now I don't know what I even believe about the church anymore. I know what I want to believe. But I'm struggling with the reality I've experienced. Which thing is truth?

    The future? I trust that God has something good for me because I trust that He loves me. And I trust that He alone is good in this world.

    But the future feels a bit hazy I'll admit.

    • Jan, there was a time in my life when I left my position as Executive Pastor in order to do what I'm doing today. Those were very difficult days for me. I had never thought about changing careers but it became obvious that I needed to leave. As a matter of fact, it took two years for me to work through issues before I could sit and worship again.

      Thank you for your honesty. My prayer is that you'll get to the place that where you can trust and enjoy being part of a church body again. While it's far from perfect, it is still the hope of the world.

      • Jan

        Do you mind my asking what you did in those two years for spiritual community? I just feel sort of lost. Not sure what to do. I'd love to hear how you handled it, if it's not too personal.

        • I volunteered at a new church start up, I'm now on the board at CrossPoint.tv in Nashville, but I also spent some time with a good counselor who helped me work through my jumbled emotions.

          • Jan

            I've been to counseling. It's helped. I still struggle with Sundays when I'm home though. When I'm traveling to other countries and working in churches there I feel fine. But when I'm home I'm sad. And confused.

            Thanks for sharing.

  • I hear ya, Maurilio. I'm definitely optimistic about what lies ahead. I look back at how much I have learned over the past few years with a sense of accomplishment, but (thankfully) that is tempered with the knowledge that there is still so much more to learn and apply.

    • learning and optimism, I believe are closely related. You cannot be an optimist and not grow in different areas of your life. Keep on growing, brother.

  • Oh I am not done – in fact – I believe my most significant days are ahead of me!
    Every day is another day of growing in wisdom and purpose.
    Every day is another day to pass to pass forward all I have been given.
    Every day is another day closer to home.
    I have never been more inspired by what is ahead me.
    Grateful you are there with me.

    • Thank you, Tami. You're such an inspiration and model of how to live well and purposefully

  • I agree, Maurilio! I've been blessed to have done a lot in my past, yet I don't yearn to go back and re-live those moments. In fact, when I do think of the past, I usually want to go back in order to change my attitude and "be in the moment".

    Perhaps it's an age thing. I feel the most comfortable in my own skin than I ever have, and the most creative.

    There's an old myth that circles amongst guitar players that haunts me sometimes. They say the speakers on a Marshall cabinet (guitar amplifier) sound the most amazing just prior to blowing out.

    I choose not to believe that. I too, think my best days are ahead of me.

    • Let me offer you another analogy to make up for the speakers. Like fine wine, we should get better with age.

  • Makes me think of that old saying… yesterday is the past, today is the present and tomorrow is a gift. I'd add that if we look at tomorrow as a gift then we should try to see it with the type of Christmas morning anticipation that we did as a child. The best is yet to come indeed.

  • The only aspect of my life where I've peaked is in my vertical leap.

    There is still plenty for me to learn about God, about how He's wired me, about my wife and kids and about ministry.

    I like your point about optimism and learning. If you're pessimistic about the future, what's the point in learning, if you're optimistic, then you want to make the most of it.

  • Tricia Schmidt

    Interesting post Maurilio! However, I think that even though someone may have the desire to help out a ministry or church, your involvement may not be welcome if you happen to be over the "ideal" age of 30 something. My husband and I also helped with a Crosspoint church campus startup, both in Dickson & North campuses. Now, we have been fired from our position and totally ignored by staff members even though we have tried to contact them directly. We are older and evidently, we do not project a youthful, hip image. It seems that the days of unconditional acceptance and fellowship are over past a certain age.

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