Sunday, September 26, 2010

Birthday


Last week we celebrated Russell’s Birthday.  As Kinley and I were preparing for the evening, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by Kinley’s excitement about her daddy’s birthday. (She was so excited she woke up at 5:30 a.m. and was non-stop till dark!)

I started thinking about how much we look forward to our birthdays when we’re young.  But, as we get older, we tend to not look forward to them as much. Why is that?  Is it because as we get older we tend to look more at our physical appearance and dread the changes that happen to our bodies? Or, for me, I think it’s the reality that life seems to pass by faster the older I get.  (Especially when it comes to celebrating the girl’s birthdays).

Anyway, I’m accepting that if I were to just look at the surface of my life, I will never be satisfied with where I am. There will always be the physical parts that need work and the worldly expectations that need to be met.  But, that’s not the way God intended any of us to live our life entirely. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

How profound and mysterious… Before he even created me, God had a purpose for my life that is different from his purpose for anyone else’s life. And in making me, He gave all the grace and talents I need to accomplish that purpose, Wow! 

So, I can look at the outside part of my life and say “I am too old for this or I’m not quite old enough for that” or I can look at every day as a gift and one that only gets sweeter with time. That’s not to say that I will sail through life without problems or obstacles, but Christ will give me everything I need to take one step in the direction I feel He is laying before me and see where it goes.  I’ve got to trust Him to direct the course if I get it wrong.  I should never let the fear of getting it “wrong” keep me from getting started though.

He will provide what I lack.  He will empower me and redirect me when necessary.  He will take care of the details, probably in ways I can’t imagine.   Christ will always give me the grace and love that will help me handle each year. To make a long story short, I’ve got to make every year of my life count for Him.

(Just in case your looking for a great way to celebrate a birthday, here are two amazing recipes brought to you by The Pioneer Woman;)




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