A stately old member of the British Navy died recently and was buried with full military honors at Powderham Castle. He was given such honors because of his extraordinary length of service. You see, he first served the navy in 1854 in the Crimean War. His name was Timothy the Tortise. And he died at the age of 160 years after having served as navy mascot for a century and a half.
Tortoises can live to be 160 because of what scientist call negligent senescence. That means that once they reach maturity, their bodies basically top aging. Unless disease or injury kills them, they can live extremely long lives.
It would be nice if our bodies worked the same way. But God designed these “earthen vessels,” as the Bible calls them, to eventually wear out. That’s a thought that discourages many people. But if we are certain of our home in Heaven, the aging process can be thought of as a countdown to glory and a motivation to redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
