“Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.” – Exodus 7:7
We are never out of time to try something new. It is never too late to change something about our life. When I was a youth in Sunday school, I remember learning that Moses was most likely 80-years-old when God used him to deliver the Hebrew people out of captivity. (Exodus 7:7) That did not mean much to me when I was a teenager, but the older I get the more impressive that seems.
Sam Kaplan recently demonstrated that age is no barrier to accomplishing something new in life. Sam had lived a wonderful life with his wife and family. He did many jobs, including running a cleaning service and owning his own telemarketing company. At the age of 68, Sam was driving down the road when he heard an advertisement for Georgia Gwinnett College. The advertisement mentioned work in film and writing scripts. This was something that had always interested Sam. He took a quick turn off the highway and within a few minutes, he was standing in the admissions office registering for the next semester.
The last time Sam was in school was in 1969. He went to work immediately after graduation from high school. College was going to be a brand-new experience, to say the least. Sam was now 50 years older than the average student on campus. So much has changed in education in the past few decades. That did not stop Sam. It did not take long for him to become one of the more popular students on campus. Sam’s joyful spirit and willingness to share his life experience with the younger students became a blessing to everyone on campus.
When the graduation ceremony for Georgia Gwinnett College was held this past May, Sam walked across the stage to the loudest applause of the day. At the age of 72, Sam Kaplan became the first of his siblings to graduate from college. It was a true moment of success as Sam received his degree with honors.
Life is full of possibilities. God has set us free to live a full life. We should not hinder ourselves with self-imposed limitations. We never know what we are capable of unless we try. Just as God empowered Moses to do great things, God will work in our lives to help us live the life he created us to live.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
