620. 70th Birthday: A Great Beginning. June 5, 2025

Key Scripture. Psalm 90:10   

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Relevance

Well, my 70th is now here. In my previous blog, I spoke about not being content with where I was in the Lord. That may seem rather negative. But, remember that I was focusing on the past. 

For me, the future provides an entirely different outlook, even at 70. The past always leads to the future. Whether our past is prosperous or full of horrors, we never remain there; it passes by. That's why we call it the past.

Every experience is a part of the building material for life's staircase we either build upward or downward. These days, I prefer to build upward, as I can see and enjoy more from a higher vantage point. 

In today's blog, I thought I'd include a short but necessary excerpt from my book, Finding Myself Inside. Chapter 32 Final Reflections. I hope it has an impact on you to examine yourself and apply wisdom. 

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Excerpt "If you have read (or listened to) this entire book to this point, you now know just how amazing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has been throughout my journey to prison and back. 

In Scripture, we are told that our lifespan is limited. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures, yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away . . . Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10, 12)

In other words, seventy years is the average human lifespan, maybe an extra decade or so if we enjoy exceptionally good health. That isn’t long. If we are to do anything positive with our lives, we need to understand how short life is and seek God’s wisdom so we may live the years God gives us to His glory.

I was exactly halfway through my allotted seventy years right to the very day—my thirty-fifth birthday—when my decision to drive unlawfully set in motion a chain of events that would haunt the rest of my life, costing me my brother, business, savings and other financial assets, even friends.

When we do stupid stuff, we rarely realise how many people we affect. In my case, I don’t mean the people I directly affected by the collision but people who had faith in me. And by that, I mean a lot of faith along with accompanying expectations and accountabilities.

I was privileged to be born into a devoutly Christian home, and the Bible tells us that to whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). No particular pressure was placed on me, but Christian parents have hopes and a vision for their children, and there were expectations such as I now have for my own son. And we should have expectations as Christian parents, as we do not put our heart and soul into raising children to see them wander off into a lost eternity.

My parents were no different, yearning to see the fruits of their godly labour in their children’s lives. But I chose to spend much of my time in a state of rebellion and lawlessness, not as a wild criminal but as someone confident of where he was eventually bound but who in the meantime enjoyed crossing over the line from time to time.

I was rather like the biblical Jonah who wasn’t willing to fulfil the task to which God had called him, running instead full-speed in the opposite direction until God had enough and engineered a monumental crossroad he could never have dreamed of in all his years.

In Jonah’s case, that involved being swallowed by a whale-sized fish (Jonah 1-2). In mine, it involved being swallowed up by a huge, impersonal prison system. For both of us, it took some unpleasant experiences and sincere repentance before God felt we were ready for release and a return to His service.

After the collision, my mother told me that it had taken place just about the exact time of day I was born thirty- five years earlier. I took that as a serious warning from God. I’d played around with God for my first thirty-five years, sometimes being sincere in my faith but other times disobedient and frivolous. Now it was half-time, and like Jonah, I’d reached a catastrophic crossroad. God was telling me to stop my foolishness and get real!

I am so thankful my faithful God and heavenly Father was there from the beginning, even in the car when I was upside-down trying to come to terms with what had just happened and making some fast decisions. He was there with me leading up to the court date. He was with me all the way through prison. And He is present in our lives now.

Toward the end of my sentence, one Dhurringile inmate, a bank robber who wasn’t particularly fond of Christians, told me, “Niven, I fear when you leave, this prison will go back to the way it was.”

I am no saint or hero of the faith. Nor am I particularly bold in the Lord, just sociable and sometimes loud. But God was definitely working in Dhurringile, and it was obvious even to those who weren’t interested in knowing Him. "

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We could never forget that Heather and I were married seven weeks after all the trauma of my 35th birthday. Actually, it was in the middle of the trauma, as the effects continued. Therefore, my 35th birthday was far more significant than all others before and after until now, my 70th. 

It was one of extreme pressure and trauma. For a newly married couple, that period was a lot to bear. In that first 13 months of marriage, we were kicked out of my business by four off-duty Police officers who had no right to be there, been taken to court, been sued, had our rental house robbed three times, and to top it off attended two final court cases from where I was immediately escorted to prison without so much as a kiss goodbye. 

That was the beginning I provided for my wife. However, amidst the turbulence and turmoil, the Lord provided us with an extraordinary ray of sunshine in the form of Heather's pregnancy, which brought Niv Jr. That blessing showed us that a mighty future lay ahead.

Despite that tempestuous beginning, our 35th Wedding Anniversary is in seven weeks, and we're best friends with ourselves and our son, and we have a wonderful relationship with his new wife, Emma. We've kept Jesus Christ as the rock on which we have built our life, regardless of the opposing currents, and we've not only stood together but got stronger and closer. Lord willing, my 70th is a great beginning of more wonders to come.

Often, when people go through difficult times, they can't see a future. The 'today' they are going through never seems to end but continues for weeks, months or, as in our case, years. But we know from our experiences that 'today' is only a day and will be tomorrow's past. 

Each day presents new opportunities to do something different, something better than the past, so our building blocks will be solid and upward. Then, we can look back with joy and satisfaction, knowing that we made sound choices to change our direction on the Lord's path. 

When Jesus was crucified, the thief on the next cross had a terrible yesterday and a worse 'today'. But we all know the wonderful paradise of tomorrow he experienced, which began before 'today' closed. There is always a future. Take it from a couple who knows.    

Prayer

Precious Saviour, how wonderfully you have cared for me and my family since the traumatic beginning. All through our joined life, you have led, protected, guided, cautioned and loved us. Thank you so much for being our Rock, our Hiding Place, our Shepherd, our Saviour, and the provider of a beautiful life. That you might be glorified! 

Photo by Peter Suthinu