Today is my 40th birthday.
Cue the, “No way! You only look 29!” comments! Just kidding. Mostly. 🤣
But really, I’ve officially made this circuit around the sun f.o.r.t.y. times. Google tells me that in that amount of time, our planet has traveled 23 billion miles and my point on the globe is moving at 1,000 miles per hour as we rotate and spin. Do I really expect to accumulate that kind of mileage looking as fresh-faced and new as I did at the beginning of this ride?
Getting older is a privilege, the gift of each new day stacking on the ones that came before, growing into a dizzying tower of grace. There is a confidence that comes from reaching this milestone. A confidence that I have found Jesus to be faithful and present through all my foibles and stumblings and victories and joys and losses and wrestlings. He has been with me for 23 billion miles and whatever happens in however many miles I have ahead of me, I know I won’t be alone.
So, let’s face these next years and days with confidence. I won’t begrudge those lines around my mouth that I’ve carefully fostered through years of laughter- finding joy in the moment and laughing at the days to come. Those creases that belie a lot of pondering and wrestling and grief. The silvery lines in my hair that show that traveling at this speed for this long has accumulated some mileage.
Growing older is a privilege. This day is a gift. And if God gives me 23 billion more miles to run on this journey I pray He gives me the grace to run it with endurance and finish well. And then... then the real ride is just getting started.