Birthdays are a celebration of life. Yesterday was mine. And I turned…well, older. You want to know how old? Nosey.
Okay, but first you have to understand my family. In the 34 birthdays I’ve celebrated with my husband, he’s yet to present me with a cake sporting all the candles set out neatly in a row. That would be just too normal.
No, hubby has trained the kids in proper birthday candle etiquette, according to his never-too-old-to-play approach to life. Yesterday, they made me a delicious cake with appropriately coded candles, shooting off in all directions—including horizontally. There were:
2 spiral-y orange candles representing 25 YEARS EACH
1 pink and white striped candle representing 15 YEARS
7 small yellow candles representing 1 NEGATIVE YEAR EACH
For the total you may have to get out your calculator and use advanced algebra.
No, I don’t feel 58. Usually I feel about 28. Some days I only feel 8. And every day I look at my kids and wonder: “How did they grow up when I haven’t gotten any older myself?”
Do you ever feel that way? As if you’re caught in a time warp, living a perennial childhood and one day someone is going to make you grow up?
I think a time warp mentality is part of God’s plan. As Christians, we start out with a simple faith, drinking it in as if it’s milk. Later as our faith grows, we chew on more difficult theology. Our faith is tested and strengthened. But through it all, as our faith grows stronger, I believe God wants us to continue to love Him with a child-like love.
How does a child love a parent? She loves with trust and hope. He loves eagerly and with everything he is. She grasps her mother’s hand as they step into the often terrifying world. He climbs into his father’s lap and rests his head on his shoulder. She falls asleep in her father’s arms, knowing she will be safe, whatever nightmares may come.
Isn’t that how our faith and trust in our God should be?
Birthdays are a celebration of life. But our life in Christ? It should be forever young at heart.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, renew in my heart a child-like love for you. Help me trust you more, leaning on you in every situation you place me in. Help me retain a love for you filled with eagerness to do my best for you and to love you with everything I am. Help my faith never grow old. Amen.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you retained a child-like love for Jesus?
