On November 14, 2009, Tom Thompson stepped onto the football field to attempt his first extra point as a place-kicker for NCAA Division III Austin College, of Sherman, Texas. His kick was good. That would be the last point Austin College would score against Trinity University that mild Saturday afternoon.
This may not sound newsworthy to most sports fans. Until you consider that Tom Thompson was 61 years old, making him the oldest college football player on record.
God has a strange habit of using men in old age:
- Adam lived 930 years, Jared 962, and Methuselah 969.
- Enoch “walked with God” until he was 365.
- Noah gave the best 120 years of his life to build a boat.
- Job lived 140 years after his darkest days.
- Abraham followed God for 100 years after his 75th birthday.
- Joseph and Joshua tied – 110 years of service each.
And then there’s Jehoiada, whose story is found in 2 Chronicles 24. He was the last man to live well past 100, during which time he overthrew Judah’s murderous queen, established a new monarch, led a national revival, and restored the Temple.
Here’s the point. It’s never too late to work recovery. And it’s never too late to get started.
Recovery Step: Francis Bacon said, “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am right now.” However old you are right now, get to work!
