The day before the first day of spring I celebrated a birthday. Let me say thanks to all of you from the Jena area that wished me a Happy Birthday. One of the issues we have with birthdays is the age factor. Simple mathematics demands that with every 365 days (except for leap-year it is 366) we have to add a one to our age. After a while these numbers become rather large and depressing.

To alleviate that I have developed a new way to measure one’s age. Instead of using years we can use decades. It really is not as bad as it sounds. For instance, instead of me being 70, I am now 7.0. So, when asked how old I am I will respond “I am 7.0.”

Recently, a former high school classmate posted a picture on Facebook of me and Phyllis Thompson. We were senior classmates together at Calhoun High School and we had been voted the “Most Likely to Succeed.” The year was 1973.

Most of you would recognize me in that picture. There I was, all slime with a head full of black wavy hair, black mustache, long sideburns, and a look on my face like “look out world here I come, Mr. Most Likely to Succeed.”

When I think about it, this honor was true for Phyllis. She probably graduated with a 4.0 GPA and made in the mid-twenties on the ACT and had a plan for what she was going to do after graduation. There was me, graduating with 2.3 GPA and a 17 on the ACT, and really no direction or plan of what I was going to do upon graduation.

One of my best friends told me he had voted for me so I asked “Why?” By that time I had started to preach a little and his answer was “Well you want to be a preacher and you are doing it now so you have already succeeded.” Sounds like typical High School logic.

But as one grows older, especially as one gets to be 7.0 as I am, they may ponder the question of being a success. I must confess that I have pondered this question. “Am I a success in life?”

The night before the picture hit Facebook I posted this about success. I want to share it with you. Sorry all of you who are Facebook friends you either have to read it again or just skip on down to the end.

“The older one gets the more he ponders where he is at this point in his life. One question is am I a success?” Today (on my actual Birthday) as I ponder my 70 years, I realized that if I measure my success by my bank account then I am a failure. If I measure it by accomplishments that can be listed on a resume, then I am a failure. But if I measure my success by my family and the many friends I have made through the years, then I am a complete success. I could have not done any better.”

The truth is, a man rates himself as a success by what is important to him. Importance is related to value. What is important to me is what I put great value on. I look back over the years that I was killing myself for material gain and personal acclaim, the things that were important I had all along, a great family, good friends and a God who loves me and saved me. Hallelujah!!!