Often I feel like I am always late in the game of life. Late in my career compared to my peers, late to investing in the good deals, and just generally feeling like I am behind the 8 ball, so to speak.  Sometimes when I think about it too long, it’s easy to only see the things I could have done better, and to focus on opportunities missed because I wasn’t prepared when they came along.

Don’t get me wrong.  I know that there is wisdom to be gained  through the lost opportunities and failures, but sometimes it can get me feeling behind.

In Matthew 20:1-16, we read the parable of the landowner, who goes out in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  The workers agree to a wage and then come to work in his vineyard.  The landowner goes out again at noon, at 3:00 p.m, and again at 5:00 p.m and brings back more workers who agree to work for the wage he is offering.  

When the end of the day comes and he pays his workers, he brings forward those that came to work last and gives them the wage he agreed to.  He then goes on to pay the ones that came right before them, and so on with each set of workers. When he gets to those that were hired in the morning, those workers thought that they would get more than those who came in later because they worked more hours than they did.  But their wages were exactly what they agreed to at the start of the day.

Those who started work early felt that the landowner was unjust towards them.  But the landowner reminded them that he gave them exactly what was agreed to. He replied “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?…Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13b,15, NIV)

The point Jesus was trying to make here is that even those who got the late start, ended up finishing just as strong as those who started early.  And God as the landowner gives generously even to those who were behind all the others.

The Apostle Paul, is a wonderful example of this.  He spent the first half of his life persecuting Christians.  He was a zealous Jew who wanted to stop the message of Christ at all cost.  He is even mentioned as being a witness to the stoning of Stephen in the book of Acts.  And YET, after his Road to Damascus conversion, Paul went on to be the one who is credited with writing the majority of the New Testament!  Not even the disciples who walked with Jesus daily were given such a high honor.

So for me, I am convicted and challenged to stop thinking that I’m too late to whatever purpose I am to accomplish on this earth.  The only thing I can do is to start right where I am at.  Looking ahead, and not regretting the past, I am confident that Christ will give me the strength to accomplish just as much as those who started before me.

So for you friends, it’s  time to dust yourself off and just start.  And I pray that 2023 will be the beginning of something amazing for you and your family.