Life . . . enjoy what God makes of it.

​Yesterday – June 9th – I celebrated 37 years of life. And before I make any additional comments or ramblings, I want to say thank you to everyone for all of my happy birthday wishes. 
Birthdays inevitably provide one an opportunity to reflect on life . . . successes, accomplishments, failures, growing edges, mistakes, joys, investments, legacies, fears, struggles and triumphs are all part of it. According to Macrotrends, the life expectancy for Americans in 1983 (my birth year) was 74 years. If this holds true, it means I have reached somewhere near the halfway point in life; I may have lived and experienced half of my life.
Such insight might cause some people to worry or become anxious, realizing that they are now closer to the event of their death than they are to the event of their birth. However, if one truly seeks to take things a day at a time, then one can enjoy each individual day on its own terms and merits.
Nonetheless, these realizations have thrust me into a pile of pensive ponderings. I will share a few.

• My mistakes do not define me, nor do yours define you . . .

I have made more than my fair share mistakes and poor choices in life. It’s only human nature to wish that I could “go back” and change many of those, and I am sorry for the unnecessary hurt and pain that I caused along the way. However, none of us are our mistakes. We are redeemed by the grace of God (on God’s terms and timetable, not ours). We are God’s children and therein lies our identity. Learn from your mistakes, make amends where possible, accepts God’s Grace and forgiveness, recognize your identity as a loved child of God, and keep being an active participant in God’s plan for your life.

• God still has plans for you . . .

No matter your age or life stage; God is still actively at work in your life. Sometimes this activity is hard to see. Sometimes it goes unnoticed by us. Nevertheless, that does not change the fact that God is actively at work in your life. We are given the high purpose of being a part of God‘s redeeming work in this world and it’s one of the greatest opportunities we will ever have.

• Try not to worry about tomorrow . . .

Simply try to make the most of what God has in store for you this day.