davidbowerkingwood

A Long Time Ago I was a Young Man

Well, maybe a little older than that!

In some mysterious way, quite beyond my understanding, the Lord placed me in the home building business. Never once, as a I was growing up, did it ever even occur to me I would devote all of my productive middle years to the home building business. My early dream was to become a conductor of a major music organization and conduct great classical music.

The early subjects of my admiration were men like, Arturo Toscanini, Eugene Ormandy, and Sir Thomas Beecham; if I were to be called on to name my #1 hero of the time, it would probably be Arturo Toscanini. Needless to say, I was completely out of step with most of my peers at school.

I was 19 when I got married to my lovely wife, who was 17, and gradually began to realize that my chances for a career in classical music were slim to none; by that time, we had discovered the wonders of the Holy Bible and were delighting ourselves in the study of God’s word. By God’s grace we were blessed with some outstanding teachers who helped us hit the ground running.

While my spiritual growth resulted in a desire to serve in the ministry, our financial situation in those early years was just too precarious to permit me to finish seminary. The children were being born and the expenses involved in raising a family became a controlling factor in our lives. After some failed efforts to find a career, I was directed to a home building company by an employment agency in Houston, Texas and yes, I see the Lord’s hand in that also!

I had finally, at age 34, found a job in home building and land development that would last until I retired at age 71. Although I had never planned on working in this field, the Lord was gracious and blessed my efforts.

Middle Age Intrudes on my Life

As usually happens, I got older and began to realize that life would not always include a full-time job. Thoughts of old age and retirement occasionally flicked through my mind, from time to time, and I would casually wonder what my retirement years would be like; I had no idea what I would do or even what I would be able to do.

I didn’t really worry about it because of my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but I was curious, on occasion, what life would be like at my retirement. I began to formulate a proposed timetable for retirement; I would retire when I was 75. That worked, in my mind, for a while, but circumstances at work were evolving and I decided in the summer of 2004 to go ahead and retire at age 71; I retired on September 1, 2004 and began my “Golden Years” with absolutely no long-term plan.

The Golden Years

The first few months, after my retirement, were a major adjustment for me, I always had the feeling I was on holiday and would be returning to work soon. Eventually that feeling passed and I began to accept the reality of my new life.

The gracious and loving Lord who had watched over me all my life was going to reveal his plans for me in due course. One of my favorite scripture passages is found in Psalms 139:13-16 where it is written:

“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”

What a marvelous privilege to rejoice in the Lord and his faithfulness to his children! The Lord had a plan for my life which would be revealed to me at the appointed time.

Next time, God’s Plan Revealed.