Milestone Birthdays
"I'm reminded of a story," our pastor began, "a story of a girl who lived in a house close to a graveyard. Her school sat on the other side of that. Every day, that girl would take the shortcut through the cemetery back and forth, taking time to appreciate the scattered flowers or to lay in the new grass while watching cloud shapes drifting by.
"One day, her classmates began teasing her at school. 'Why do you always walk through the graveyard'? they jeered.
“ 'Because,' the girl answered, 'It's the way home.' "
On Our Way Home
We listened to this story at my friend’s beautiful celebration of life service last weekend, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
We are all on our way home, aren't we? Just different paths and timing for us all. Our challenge is to make the most of the time we've been given on our journeys HOME.
I’ve watched my husband grappling with the prospect of aging the past few weeks, as the realization of a milestone birthday became increasingly real. Every conversation held snippets of his thinking.
For example, he’d ascend from his basement office and see me on the phone.
“Whoever you’re talking to--let them know I don’t want to turn sixty!” I’d hear in the background and then laugh.
“Honey! You’re the healthiest, most active sixty-year-old I know!” I reassured. “And aren’t they saying sixty is the new forty?!?” (Whoever THEY are--obviously, those that wrestle equally with milestone markers and choose wisely to reframe them!)
Milestone birthdays are infamous for jokes as well as for reflection. As I observe my husband approach his new marker with trepidation, the seeds are planted in my own subconscious: I’M NOT FAR BEHIND!
OK, I’ve got a year to deal with this. But HOLY SMOKES! Time is flying by, accelerating faster with every year spent.
When I walked the halls in junior high (before we called them middle schools!), one of our favorite laissez-faire sayings was “LIFE IS SHORT, AND THEN WE DIE!!!”
We got a kick out of that. Back then, it was funny and meant to dismiss concern and consequences over impulsive behavior. Not quite so much now, as the truth in that phrase starts hitting home…
Living Fully
Life IS short, and we must force ourselves to confront that as we inch up in age. On our way HOME, we all start to reflect in order to evaluate where we are...
Are we on the right path? Do we have our priorities straight? Are there changes and tweaks that we need to make? Is my relationship with God all that I want it to be, or do I need to know him better?
And how can we end well, and keep a positive attitude as we deal with health challenges and watch our friends going HOME ahead of us? Do I have purpose, a purpose that I can carry into my twilight years and on into heaven?
These questions frequently arise around our milestones. I think this is partly why God asked the Israelites to build altars to worship and commemorate major events…Remembering lessons learned along life’s journey is important. It’s how we gain wisdom. God wants to celebrate milestones WITH us and remind us that we are not walking alone. (And he needs to remind us that he gets the glory for it all!)
Yes, God walks alongside. When all of our friends and family are gone, he will still be with us. And in the end, he alone will be the One walking us HOME. We are never out of his sight and always in his hands no matter what trials we face. He’s the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2), the friend that walks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24), the Savior who has prepared a place for us (John 14:2-3, ESV).
I hope I approach my own milestone birthday next year with excitement and joy, knowing Jesus walks right beside me, leading and teaching as we go. I’ll never outgrow the need for that!
How about you? How do you like to celebrate milestone birthdays? Do you approach aging with fear and worry, or are you excited at all the ways the Lord is still working in your life? Do you count out your blessings, or find it hard not to focus on your list of concerns?
Living Well
Physical aging can be difficult—ravaging illness can steal our peace, loss of friends brings loneliness. But spiritual aging can bring hope, wisdom, and a closer walk with God.
So, what is the best way to approach milestone birthdays and deal with this business of aging?
I can think of at least four things that prove useful: purpose, perspective, peace, and presence. More specifically, we need a prayerful purpose, an eternal perspective, and the Spirit’s peace and presence to permeate our souls. This is how we live fully, to ‘make the most’ out of our journeys “HOME”.
Stay close to Jesus, my friends. We are all on different journeys; but he is faithful and will help us over and through our finish lines, then carry us HOME.
Verse to Remember:
“So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom…” (Psalm 90:12, ESV.)
Worship, Anyone?
Worship recenters our hearts and minds on God, and brings JOY back into our days!
If you like Praise and Worship music, here’s one that I’ve been listening to this past month.
*Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash
