So, You're Still At It, Huh?

By Ken Laue

Way back when I was a new believer around thirty-four years ago, I remember witnessing to my little brother. He was convinced that my new faith in Jesus was just a phase I was going through. That before too long, I’d be back to the good ole Ken I was before.

He had seen other new Jesus Freaks go through that very process. After all, we were both just young and crazy.

Actually, he was a lot crazier, but I don’t' have room here to tell you about him and his 350 Yamaha dirt bike. Like the time he learned that the cops don't like you to pop a wheelie all the way across the intersection when the light turns green. For example.

Needless to say, after more than three decades, none of my siblings question whether I am still a member of "that church." Nor do unsaved friends, workmates or associates.  That Ken, he's still at it. Still one of those Jesus Freaks, after all.

Back then, I couldn't conceive of living long enough, or of Jesus tarrying long enough, to find myself dealing with senior citizen issues. Now I'm getting an education in human anatomy and physiology.

You learn what certain body parts you didn’t know you had do for you when they are working only because of what they do to you when they mess up.

For an '89 Dodge van, you just shovel new transmissions, starter motors, brake linings, steering boxes, A/C compressors and tie rod ends – and a whole lot of gas – into it, and you can keep it alive.

Actually, I euthanized mine through Cash for Clunkers.

But a prostate? What is a prostate? You find out real quick when all of a sudden you're in exquisite pain in the ER and you can't pee.

How about C.A.D.?  When they're wheeling you into surgery and you come out with stents in your heart arteries, you get an education in heart function.

I won't bore you with facts about the colon.

What we need is a Cash for Codgers program where you can trade yourself in for a more economical you. (Not a bad idea. Maybe you should keep only a small life insurance policy, or your wife might find a way.)

But hey, I still feel twenty-five inside. So what gives? And who is this wizened old jerk in the mirror mocking me? Listen pal, quit smirking at me or I'll kick your… Hey, wait a minute, that can’t be me with the gray hair and age spots...

Now, I do drive a bus for the Vail School District, so, like, I’m not sitting around on my butt, if that’s what you think.

And while I may be receiving checks from the Arizona State Retirement System and Social Security, I am by no means retired from the Kingdom of God. I'm still at it.

Due to some of the challenges enumerated above, I'm not involved in as many ministries, but I still get to preach object lessons and pull altar calls for the kids in children's church – what an awesome privilege! – and I still get to write articles for Bullseye (I hope this one makes it), and I still get to help out with the children at Bible Conference.

So, not just twiddling my thumbs. Trying to keep at it.

Praying every morning when I first get up, attending church services, paying tithes and offerings, being a witness and fighting the good fight of faith each and every day are practices now entrenched in my heart and soul after all these years.

Keeping at it is good.

Maybe some older believers struggle with this, too, but now that I'm not doing as much stuff for the Kingdom as I used to, it’s like, gee… I feel like I'm not doin' nothin' for God anymore.

But, whose voice are we listening to? You may not realize it, but even the small, obscure acts of faithfulness carry a lot more weight than you think.

Case in point:  on weekend mornings, little granddaughters Abby (6) and Leilani (8) come out of the bedroom to find Papa (yours truly) in his prayer closet (okay, okay, so it's the easy chair) with a cup of coffee in his hand and an open Bible in his lap.

They know Grandpa talks to the Lord and studies his Bible in the morning.

When I hear them singing Christian songs around the house, praying over their food, or learning about the things of God, I realize that my example has a part to play in their childlike faith.

That’s when I realize that merely keeping at it, always at it, is a lot more valuable than we may give it credit for.

So whether Jesus comes back today or in two decades from now, I pray that we may still be found All At It.

And if you’re reading this and you haven’t got with it and committed your heart to Christ, all I can say is: Get at it!  Whaddaya waitin' for?