Another year, another Birthday has arrived.
Preparation for old age should begin no later than one’s teens. A life that is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled upon retirement. – Dwight L. Moody
At 76, I have gained something many people never do: perspective. Not because life has been easy, but because I have stayed engaged with it. I have seen success and disappointment, opportunity and poverty, faith and doubt, and love and loss across cultures and continents.
Job 12:12, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life…. bring understanding?”
When I was younger, I measured life by milestones. Today, I measure it by opportunities. Opportunities to learn, to help, to encourage, and to leave something behind that matters. The milestones fade. The opportunities shape us.
When I was young, birthdays seemed to be about getting older. Somewhere along the way, I realized they are really about getting another chance to live.
Life rarely unfolds as we imagine. We begin with plans, dreams, and expectations. Then reality arrives. We encounter obstacles we never anticipated, losses we never wanted, and lessons we never volunteered to learn.
The road is rarely smooth.
Proverbs 4:7, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding.”
There are victories worth celebrating, yet they often arrive disguised as struggles. The promotion follows years of sacrifice. Wisdom follows mistakes. Strength follows hardship. Compassion is often born of pain.
Looking back, I can see that some of the greatest blessings in my life arrived disguised as disappointment.
Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.”
The challenges were not interruptions in life; they were life itself.
The failures taught me humility. The setbacks taught me perseverance. The heartbreak taught me empathy. The uncertainty taught me faith.
I would not have chosen many of those experiences, yet I would not be who I am without them.
Psalms 37:25, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.”
As the years pass, I find myself less impressed by achievement and more by endurance.
I admire those who keep going:
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- The people who get back up after life knocks them down.
- The people who continue loving after loss.
- The people who continue to hope even when circumstances offer little reason to do so.
- The people who quietly do what is right when no one is watching.
The world often celebrates the extraordinary moment. I have come to appreciate the extraordinary life built on ordinary faithfulness.
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- One day at a time.
- One decision at a time.
- One act of kindness at a time.
- One step forward at a time.
Psalms 92:14, “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”
Birthdays have also taught me something about gratitude.
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- I am grateful for the people who walked beside me, even if only for a season.
- I am grateful for those who encouraged me when I doubted myself.
- I am grateful to those who challenged me because they helped shape me.
- I am grateful for the opportunities God placed before me and for the strength He provided when the path became difficult.
Most of all, I am grateful that God is not finished with me yet.
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- Every sunrise is evidence of purpose.
- Every breath is a gift.
- Every day is another chance to learn, to serve, to encourage, and to leave the world a little better than we found it.
I do not know how many birthdays remain ahead of me. None of us does.
But I know this: Life is not measured by the number of years we are given. It is measured by how we live them.
So today I celebrate—not because I am another year older, but because I have been given another year to run the race.
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- Another year to learn.
- Another year to serve.
- Another year to love.
- Another year to grow.
And until I run out of time or money, whichever comes first, I intend to keep running.
Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”