One of the worst parts about being a middle-aged runner in the 21st century is that you know you’re getting slower. Thanks to the data on my running app, I have objective data to prove that I’m slowing down. It’s very possible that my greatest athletic success is completely in the past.

The temporary nature of success is a frustrating part of life, isn’t it? We never truly know if our grades will get better (or worse), if our church will need extra chairs (or have enough pew space for people to lie down), or if our business will make money (or close its doors). Success is fleeting, uncertain, and anything but guaranteed. This can be a hard truth to swallow as you enter the final decades of life.

This, by contrast, is why I adore GOD. The eternal GOD never has to live off of his past success. No, GOD was glorious to Moses, Isaiah, and John in the past; is glorious to every soul that seeks him in the present; and will be glorious to every eye that sees him in the future. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

That is gloriously good news. The best part of our lives—being with GOD, not earthly success—is the one thing that will never change. Yes, the young runner might pass us by, the old ways of business might not work, and our church’s biggest attendance might already be in the books; but with Jesus we still have a thrilling future because our GOD is forever!