Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. – Genesis 12:4b, KJV

When Jack taught our class, he related a story told by Dr. Stephen Davey of Wisdom for the Heart.

A woman living in Melbourne, Australia accepted Christ as her Savior at age 70. Almost immediately after her conversion, she approached her pastor and said, “I feel like God is calling me into the ministry. What should I do?” Wisely, the pastor responded, “I suggest you pray about it,” and she did just that.

After a little prayer, the woman went to the store and purchased a packet of index cards. She wrote on each card the following message: “Feeling homesick? Come to my house for tea everyday at 4 pm.” She took the postcards to the University of Melbourne and tacked them up on every bulletin board she could find. For two weeks, no one came. But, on the 15th day, a young man from Indonesia came to her house for tea. When he returned to school, he told every one he knew about having tea with the lady that “reminded me of my grandmother,” and from then on, the woman never lacked guests in her home. For the next ten years, she shared the Gospel with countless students from the University of Melbourne, reaching young people from Indonesia, India, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and beyond. When she died, she had no less than 70 pall bearers, and she left a legacy of faith behind.

We make all kinds of excuses not to do the things God has called us to do. “I’m too old,” we might argue. “I don’t have the training,” we might say. “I’m too busy, too tired, too poor.” The reality is that if you put off God’s call to serve, the only thing you are is too unwilling. If a dear, 70-year old woman with no formal Christian training can impact hundreds of lives in the twilight of her life, so can you. You don’t need a degree. You don’t need a program. You don’t need to be employed by a ministry. You don’t need to be young. All you need is the Gospel, the willingness to listen to others, and the courage to tell your own story of choosing Christ over sin.  It is, truly, just that simple.

For this dear woman in Australia, eternal life began at 70. She used the first years of her eternal life wisely. Are you doing the same?