Fifty-three

Guess what! Today begins the year I have been waiting for since childhood. Today is my fifty-third birthday!!

Why, you ask, is that such a significant milestone?

Because, today I am finally the same age as The Grinch!

Okay, so in the spirit of being perfectly transparent, I didn’t actually take note of Mr. Grinch’s age when I was a child. So no, I haven’t been waiting for this day for, well, 50-something years.

Honestly, reaching a non-milestone, insignificant year like fifty-three made me look for something to make this year stand out.

We all want our days, our years, to matter, don’t we? We want to make some mark of significance on our world, no matter how large or how small our world might be.

We spend a lot of time waiting for the “milestones” of life- whatever they may be. My milestones are not quite the same as many people, but they are milestones nonetheless. They are points in my life that I can look back on and say, “Hey, I did something big right there!”

This birthday weekend, I’m spending some time asking the Lord to make my 53^rd year one that is full of opportunities to bring Him glory. I’m asking Him to teach me more deeply the meaning of counting my days and making my days count.

Like the Grinch I want to open up closed places in my heart, build new friendships, and cherish the people God’s given me. I want to know Jesus better, love Him better, reflect Him better. I want to be healthy in my body, my heart, my spirit.

I want to bring laughter and encouragement to everyone I encounter. I want to live generously with my time, my abilities, and my possessions. I want to give out more than I take in.

I want to drink coffee and eat chocolate every single day. And lose that last 80 pounds that I’ve been trying to shake off for the past few years!

Fifty-three may not be one of those birthdays that they make paper plates and banners about, but it’s the birthday God has given me and I’m ever so thankful that He has.