In the bible it tells us that our latter days will be better than our former days… “And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great” – Job 8:7
I must admit that while I knew of that phrase, I wasn’t always sure of what it meant, what it meant to me, or even if I actually believe it. However, of late, I am seeing so much evidence that this is truly a thing.
In this time of our senior existence, we are blessed to still have a place in this life – we therefore are in a position to see our latter become better than our former. While it is a biblical promise, it is important to recognize that it comes with effort on our part to make that promise a reality; it isn’t going to happen by osmosis. It starts with an original vision, desire, or hope for ourselves, then we must be intentional about putting in the work. The work combined with intentionality is the winning combination.
An acquaintance of mine recently retired from the “day job” by which we sustain ourselves – artists, musicians and other creatives are familiar with that. The friend was shifted into the position to pursue her passions. And as such this pursuit took on a whole life of its own. She had time now to focus on all her creative abilities, including designing clothing, styling other people, crafting, etc. But the main thing was writing. While working full-time she also studied writing in college. She was a poet, and poetry had been a serious passion of hers over the years. I can attest to the fact that she executed the formula above. She was intentional, she stayed true to her original mission and hope for herself. She didn’t treat her writing like a hobby.
She had some challenges along the way; she had children and grandchildren, but she never took her eyes off the prize. Ultimately, she wrote an amazing piece, which was seen by funders as something that could become bigger than just another poem. This led to funding which allowed the poem to be turned into a highly successful staged production. The content played out powerfully on the stage—the audience was captivated.
More importantly, it opened the door for additional opportunities to further advance her work. She couldn’t be happier.
Two other close acquaintances, both of whom had painful beginnings, fraught with trauma and poor choices shared that they could have ended up dead or spent years in jail because of the lifestyles they had been thrust into. But here it is now with their youth behind them, they are leading amazing organizations that are making significant impacts in the lives of others.
These are just three of the many stories of people whose beginning was drastically different than their present.
The question becomes, what were the factors that each of these individuals had in common? In no special order, they are vision, passion, determination, courage, and intentionality. These are the common denominators they shared which led them to their destiny. They may not have embraced them at the same time, but over time, it was the combination of all of these elements that got them to the place they are now.
Also, we should expect when moving into a new space—the journey to the “latter.” There will be certain other mental adjustments: 1. Necessary changes will occur. Many friends and a few family members will not be on this train with you, as you get closer to your destination, whether it is a book, a business, or some other thing you are trying to achieve. Some will have left the train several stops before – you must be willing to let go — everyone can’t go with you. 2. There will be unseen sacrifices you have not suspected—you won’t have time to waste – this will happen naturally. I had a good friend who started her own business after years of being with the phone company, 12 years into our friendship, no less. But after a while, our “girlfriend” conversations slowed up, we went from weekly phone calls to rarely talking at all; and when we did, she had little to share about anything except “the business.” The same common denominators listed were the key elements to her success as well.
As a result of the passion, determination, willingness and courage to lean into the changes, these individuals played a part in their latter being better than their former.
What we should take from these examples is that there is always more. Even as we enter into this special time, we don’t have to be done. There is always more—our latter can be better than our former.
About Post Author
