Oh FORTY

 “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Micah 7:8

40... It’s just a number yet it has some sort of hold on me. It’s scary and exciting. It is knocking at my door, and I’m not quite sure how I want to greet it when I open the door to enter a new decade of my life. Over the past year, I have moved the curtains ever so slightly to peek out the window as others opened the door to 40 to see how 40 greeted them and vice versa. Some greeted 40 with open arms, some solemnly, and others treated 40 as if it were nothing. 40 seems to be a big deal for me, and within this past week, my perspective has changed. 

For many years I looked at 40 and thought, “Life is halfway over when you reach 40, how sad.” As the months dwindled down to weeks, I began going through the ups and downs of being close to 40 and thinking about my life. I looked at my life as a walk through the wilderness, and wondered why my life went the way it did, and just like the Israelites had to wander the wilderness for forty years before they could enter the promised land; I finally realized I had to walk through, okay honestly, sometimes it was waller and crawl through, some tough times to reach where I’m at now. I’m not walking in the promised land, but I’m certainly not in the valley of darkness anymore either. I am entering a new decade of life with a new perspective and a renewed hope that I haven’t had in quite some time. 

My life hasn’t been easy, but the older I get I realize no one escapes this life without some tough times. Some people are blessed with scenic views and rainbows and have very few tough times while others seem to have sharp turns, bridges, potholes, and dead ends. I’ve definitely had more of the bumpy roads with sharp turns and dead ends than scenic views. The enemy has tried to knock me down over and over, but I keep getting up. Instead of looking back on the past forty years and saying how sad, I’m looking back and counting my blessings. I can clearly see where God blessed, guided, loved, and protected me.  If I could write a letter to my younger self I would tell myself to relax, have fun, laugh more, stop trying to make everyone happy, and take care of yourself, but most importantly grow your relationship with Jesus. As I count down the days to turning the big 4-0, I am counting my blessings and I’m amazed at where I came from and where I am now. Without the loving hands of God there is no way I would be where I am now, nor would I be the person I am today. I am rich, not because of the material things that God has blessed me with, but because I have a loving husband, kids, family, friends, and good health. 

Physically, I’m not where I thought I would be at this point in my life, but I’m working on it. Mentally, I am much better off than I was, but I still have work to do. Spiritually, I am moving forward in my walk with the Lord, but still have a ways to go. Overall, I would say 40 is looking better and better. Am I still nervous about what this new decade holds? Yes, because I know there will still be trials and rough roads ahead, but I know who holds my future, so I’m at peace. When the day comes for me to answer the knock at the door to allow 40 to come in I will greet it with a spark in my eye, a smile on my face, and a fire in my soul to live life on purpose; making every moment intentional because from a very young age I was taught tomorrow is not guaranteed. Here’s to 40! Let’s do this!

Love Others

 “If I say to the wicked, ‘You are going to die’, and you don’t sound the alarm warning them that it’s a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I’ll hold you responsible.” Ezekiel 3:18 The Message

There is a famous quote by Edmond Burke that has been on my mind lately and it states, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” How long will we Christians sit on our hands and hide in our “perfect” worlds of blue skies, rainbows, and churches filled with fellow believers who pretend to have it all together? Our beliefs are being mocked and disregarded as we sit complacently in our chairs, pews, and homes accepting that this is just how it all goes down. The more we sit back and do nothing, the worse this world will get, and more souls will be lost, rightfully so. We are in the midst of a battle, and instead of drawing our swords to fight we are sitting back and allowing the enemy to win. 

The youth of today are being bombarded with a worldview that sets them up for mental illnesses, poor health, and a mindset that focuses only on themselves. Empathy and sympathy are headed out the window, while pride and selfishness are marching through the door as a way of living the best life. I’ll get what I want, and it doesn’t matter who I hurt or how I get it;  just as long as it doesn’t hurt me. This way of thinking is becoming more and more prevalent. Our kids have access to news, social media, and information that they’re not old enough to understand. Their brains are not fully developed, and yet we seem to think it will not affect how they behave or perceive the world and themselves. Their identities are being built on how many followers, likes, and viewers they have on their social media accounts. As Isaiah says, “What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.” Now is the time to take a stand, speak the truth, and let them see that there is a better way and that their identities are found in Christ. 

How can we change this? How can we fight when it seems we have already lost the battle? We must put on our armor, take up our swords, and remember we are fighting a battle, but the war has already been won. God will be with us and has gone before us. Stand firm, be bold, and LOVE others so the world can see there is hope in this dark, lost world. We need to LOVE others how Jesus loves us. That means speaking the truth, and the only truth worth speaking is the words from the Bible. We are at a point in history where if we don’t start speaking the truth we are missing our purpose. People are hurting, suffering, and looking for hope, justice, love, and peace. The harvest is plenty, and now is the time to start reaping. As Christians, we can point them to the only one who can give them what they are looking for, but we can’t do this by pretending that our lives are perfect. It’s time to be real with others. It’s time to start living life the way God intended it to be lived, and that means allowing others in our lives. We need to get off our cell phones and social media, out of our houses, and look up to see what is really going on around us. We can hide in our houses and give our money to the poor, but until we get outside and LOVE others we aren’t really living the life God has planned for us. “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NLT) Challenge yourself this week and choose to go for a walk and talk to a neighbor, set your phone down on your lunch break and visit with a coworker or family member, or send an encouraging text to someone you care about. Be the light and LOVE others.