The secret to living longer

What would you say if I told you that I have found the secret to a prolonged life?

Many have searched for this secret. Few have found it. Some have thought they found it only to realize too late that they didn't. The secret is out. The Bible does not hide it.

Proverbs 10:27 reads,

The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

But the years of the wicked will be short.

The secret is simple; fear and addition.

Being afraid drains life from you. Living in fear fuels anxiety. What if this happens? What if that happens? Will I have enough? What if I don't have enough? What if ... ?

Fearful and being afraid are similar but very different.

Being afraid places you on the perpetual cliff of disaster ever looking for the next blow. There are many reasons every day to be afraid. A cursory reading of the national headlines is enough to send anyone to find the closest sand to bury their head. Fearfulness is life-draining.

Fear of the Lord, though, adds life. To fear the Lord is to be in awe of Him. It is to stand in wonder and amazement at who He is. To fear the Lord is to know while the thunder shakes the skies. He shakes the thunder.

When we fear the Lord, we place Him above ourselves and everything else. Fear of the Lord causes us to position our lives not only under Him but what it is that He wants for us.

Years are chronological; the years of the wicked are short. Prolonging though is addition. The two are similar, but very different.

"Years" comes from a Hebrew word that means a measurement of time. We may think of it this way; these are the high school years. These are the golden years. Those were the great years. They all refer to a block of time -- when a time begins and when a time ends.

Those who fear the Lord prolong their lives. That is they add to their lives. Their concern, then, is beyond possessing the maximum number of years but having a number of maximized years. In other words, the quality of living far surpasses the quantity of life.

Fear of the Lord adds to your life. Whether that be one day or 10,000 days, what is added is great.

Robert Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more of him at robhurtgen.wordpress.com.