The Birthday Girl Wants to Give a Speech

This past Tuesday I turned 20 something. I am super excited; I mean I’m super excited now. I was a little down on my birthday for the earlier part of the day. I was feeling like I hadn’t made great accomplishments in my life and I had the dreaded feeling of no longer being young. I always tell people that while I'm 20 something on the outside, I am 15 on the inside. I was starting to lose that. But after I took time really think about me, my life, and everything and everyone around me; I am grateful. I found that although I’m not wear I expected to be at this age, I live a full and valuable life.

I am truly honored to have so many blessings and sometimes it doesn’t hit me right away. There have been several incidents in the world lately, much too many are unfortunate and sadly involve youth from all over the world. I’ve been following the Travon Martin case on the trial of George Zimmerman and I realize that a young man only aged 17 is dead. I feel really emotional right now, even as I type my eyes fill with tears. I’m alive and I thank God for that. Two young women died in a plane crash just this week, and  two other young men in Egypt where thrown off a roof to their deaths just yesterday; Wow. All of their hopes, dreams and plans for the future are dead too. And I had the audacity to be anything less than joyous about my life. If I really wanted to be sad, I should have been so for the 5 mothers and fathers who lost their children; not for myself.

I want to be clear in saying, that I never once had regret for my existence- never that, but I wasn’t really looking at everything that God has allowed I my life, good and bad. I want to remember the time I almost went to jail, or could have been involved in a tragic accident. I want to remember how I was deathly ill as a child and how God healed me from that serious illness. When I start to forget is when I start to loose my gratitude. I’ve got to keep it real with my self. I could be dead, but God is merciful. And he’s been gracious to remind me of all He’s done.

                                

I have Jesus.  First and foremost I have value because I have Jesus. All the other blessings: accomplishments, triumphs and lessons learned are such because God has gifted them to me. Accomplishments alone mean nothing but being strengthened through Christ makes those accomplishments much more valuable and gives life’s special moments more meaning. Though I may not be in the best of moods every single day, I pray that God would remind me that being anything less than joy-filled really is unacceptable.