Happy Birthday, Kyle!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV).

While I was searching for a meme on Kyle’s birthday I came across this one with Marlon Brando’s character from The Godfather. It made me think in a little different direction for today’s devotional. In the second film he is portrayed as an old man watching his son lead the family. For the past few months, I’d been feeling pretty old. We have been working outdoors building an extension to the deck and a huge flower bed. My bones have been feeling a little “creaky.” As my oldest son’s birthday approached, I was really feeling my age. Birthdays of our adult children have a way of doing that. But when I stopped to think a bit broader, I had a realized that age really has little to do with the celebration. God has been in the business of directing my path and that of my family all along. We really shouldn’t celebrate birthdays numerically. God has already numbered all of our days. If we have been given another day, it is a day to celebrate; it is a day to persevere toward the goal of realizing how “fearfully and wonderfully” we really are. Sometimes that becomes a challenge. The limitations of aging are real. Even though there are countless examples of people who have amazed those around them with their accomplishments well beyond an age that would be thought possible. So, let me make a few observations for all of us to consider:  First, you should “number” your days. There is nothing wrong with celebrating your age. It is a wise reminder of the investment God is making in you for this very time in your life and the lives of those in your circle of influence.  Second, be intentional specific about what you can do today and the days God gives you to make a difference that have eternal value. Make a list of the wisest things you could invest your life in.  Third, take stock of the resources you have in this stage of your life that you could put to use in order to minimize your regrets and maximize your opportunities. Remember that a birthday only serves as a marker of how close we are to our eternal home. So, Happy Birthday, Kyle! I am closer home too!