If you waited until you were older to start learning, you waited until you were older to start coming to shul, to start giving out your tzedakah (charity) money. You know what the greatest risk is? Even if it helped you, your children are already grown. You spent your life living in the fast lane. You did all the beautiful times, vacations; you ate whatever you wanted, you didn't listen, you didn't go, you golfed instead of praying. You did all that. Those were the years when you were raising your children for future generations, says the Torah. Out of the three things that you could use to fight the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), choose not the death one to remind you to live correctly; choose the living ones to remind you to live correctly.
Because if you chose Torah when you were young, then there was Torah in your home when your kids were growing. If you chose Torah, you chose Shema Yisrael (Hear, O Israel), you chose tefillah (prayer), then your kids came to shul when they were young. You and your children, my friends. Someone asked me once, “Rabbi, what if it's too late already? I came to Torah later. I came to my kids. I told them, ‘Come with me. I discovered how amazing it is to learn Torah only later. I discovered how beautiful shul is only later. Come with me.’ What do my kids say? ‘Dad, that's a you thing. You know, I'm happy that you found this when you got old. You know, you didn't raise us this way. What do you want from my life? It's not part of my life.’”
A guy came to me heartbroken: “What should I do? It's too late for my kids.” I said, “It might be too late for your kids.” But it does not say over here, “not your sons and your daughters.” It says, “your descendants, your seed.” Sometimes a grandpa can bring his grandchildren and his grandsons and his granddaughters to shul. He could learn Torah with them before Shabbat. He could ask them to say a nice Dvar Torah (Torah teaching). He could promise them $5 if they share with him a chiddush (new insight) that he's never heard. And even if it was too late for your kids, it's not too late for your grandkids. And if it's too late for your grandkids, it's not too late for your great-grandkids.
Says the Torah, I wish you would choose Torah and tefillah instead of choosing to get more religious when it's late in the game and you're already grown.