It's Never Too Late

A couple days ago, I finished my Master's degree in Christian Counseling.

At 43 years old.

That still feels a little strange to write.

Not because I didn't think I could do it.

Because there was a time in my life when I wasn't sure I ever would.

I didn't earn my bachelor's degree until I was 41.

For a long time, I believed the lie that I had missed my opportunity. That somehow everyone else had figured life out while I was still trying to find my footing.

I watched friends build careers. I watched people graduate years before I did. I watched others seem to move through life on a timeline that looked much more impressive than mine. If I'm honest, there were moments when I wondered if I was simply too late.

Maybe you've felt that way too.

Maybe it isn't school for you.

Maybe it's starting over after a divorce. 

Beginning a new career. 

Going back to school. 

Starting a business. 

Writing the book. 

Getting sober. 

Repairing a relationship. 

Whatever it is, we have an amazing ability to convince ourselves that we've missed our chance.

I've learned something over the last few years.

God doesn't seem nearly as concerned with our timeline as we are.

I Stopped Comparing My Timeline

Comparison is exhausting.

It says things like:

"You should be further along by now."

"Look how much everyone else has accomplished."

"If you were really successful, you would have done this years ago."

The problem is that comparison almost always steals gratitude. Instead of celebrating what God is doing today, we mourn what we think should have happened yesterday.

Some of the happiest moments of this journey came when I stopped asking why it took me so long and simply became thankful that I finally started.

Hard Work Has a Way of Changing You

People see a diploma.

They don't see the evenings spent studying. The papers that had to be rewritten. The weekends when everyone else seemed to have free time. The sacrifices made by the people around you.

Hard work rarely feels glamorous while you're living it.

But I've discovered something.

The greatest reward isn't the degree hanging on my wall.

It's the person I became while earning it.

Discipline. Perseverance. Patience. Confidence.

Those lessons will stay with me far longer than any diploma ever will.

God Is Never Finished With Us

One of my favorite things about Scripture is that God rarely calls people at what the world considers the perfect time.

Moses was 80 when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt.

Abraham and Sarah waited decades for the child God promised.

Peter thought his greatest failure had disqualified him, yet Jesus restored him and used him to help lead the early church.

God has never been limited by age. He's never been intimidated by delayed dreams. He's never looked at someone's life and said, "Sorry, you missed your opportunity."

Maybe that's because God is more interested in faithfulness than timing.

A Final Thought

If you're reading this and wondering whether it's too late to chase the dream God placed on your heart, let me encourage you.

Take the class. Fill out the application. Start the business.

Write the first chapter. Go to counseling. Apply for the job.

Volunteer. Serve. Learn something new. Take the first step.

Will it be easy? Probably not.

Will it take longer than you'd like? Maybe.

Will you wonder if you're crazy for trying? Almost certainly.

But one day you'll look back and realize that the hardest part wasn't the work.

It was believing you still had time.

At 43 years old, I can honestly tell you this:

I'm not behind. I'm not late. I'm exactly where God has been faithfully leading me all along. And if He's not finished with me, there's a good chance He's not finished with you either.