January 10, 1989. My Birthday. Today I turn a quarter of a century old. The big 25. I'll be honest, I know 25 is still really young, but it's been a scary one for me. I feel like no other age has made me feel like I'm saying goodbye to my youth as much as 25 has. Like I said, I know 25 is still young, but I also know that I've already lived out most of my youth. This has created all kinds of thoughts in my head. It has made me think of all the things I haven't accomplished. All the things I didn't do that I wanted to. All the things that I missed out on. All the ways that those losses will affect my future. Not just that, but all my mistakes, all my regrets. I ask myself, "If my life were to be appraised, what would the tag say?" I've also had an irrational fear of getting old. At the bank, about 60% of our customers are elderly. I admit that being witness to their struggles on a daily basis has made me more fearful of growing old. I realize that once you get to a certain age, your abilities to function in ways that have become too familiar to you slowly and painfully fade away. Again, I ask, "Am I living my life to the fullest? My youth is slipping from in between my fingers, but am I doing the most I can?" Today, God whispered to me what the purpose of a rose is. It is to bring joy, beauty and delight to the observer. As well as every person, a rose is born. It first is a bud for a while and then it blossoms into an incredibly elegant and enchanting living creation that with even the best efforts cannot be duplicated. It exists and serves it's purpose. And even when it comes to it's age of withering, if you have the right heart about it, it's beauty hasn't left it, it has only changed. Each withering rose tells you that all things, even the most beautiful things, one day come to an end. To cherish those things while you have them. And, most of all, that that rose is fulfilling God's design for it. To me, that's beautiful. Friends, we are all roses. We are all observers. And the greatest observer of them all is the Creator of the roses. The rose does not exist for itself. The rose exists for it's Creator. The rose exists for those around it. After God wished me a happy birthday today, my fears of aging faded away and thankfulness filled my heart. 25 is a blessing. How many people out there didn't get to see 25? 36? 48? 62? 79? Each year is a gift! Each one is special and beautiful. Each one is given so that you can be a rose. For Christ. For others. Don't dwell on your past or your future. Live today. For my birthday, My dear friend Amanda Baker shared an inspirational quote from a daily calendar she has. Today's was this:
January 10:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson.
I am thankful to say that I know that what lies within me is Christ. And that is everything. My prayer to each one of you reading this is that you would live selflessly and fully. That you would be a radiant reflection of the Light of the Creator. That your heart would be filled with joy and thankfulness, even in the most difficult of circumstances. And that you would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ALL who you encounter, regardless of how they respond. All my love to you, Roses.
-Blessings,
C.
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