“Do not count the candles but notice the light they give. Do not count the years; look at the life you live.” ~ Unknown
“Getting older is all about mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” That old saying goes through my mind each year as I celebrate my birthday. I have never been much for age. I was not one of those people who fell apart when I hit the magic age of thirty or forty or fifty. Last year, sixty didn’t even bother me. When asked how old I am, I have to subtract my birth year from the present year to figure it out because I truly do not keep it in mind.
However — and there is always a “however”, isn’t there? — each year that I get older now is a reminder to me that I am that much closer to the day that God will call me to Himself. When I was younger, I did not have to worry about that as much. Now that I am getting older, it is more and more a reality.
So, what do I do? Certainly, I do not focus on the number of candles on the cake. I just hope that they are giving the right kind of light for others to see. I hope that the life that I have lived will be judged more for the good than not. Those are important things for all of us to remember.
After all, we have been placed on this earth solely to journey to the Kingdom and to bring as many people with us as possible. If we live our lives vibrantly, we will attract others. We will give them reasons to come to the know the Lord for themselves.
Here’s to the time that God has given us on this earth. And here’s a hope that we all use our time wisely!
FAITH ACTION: If I may be so bold as to ask, kindly remember me in your prayers today as I celebrate my sixty-first birthday, that I may continue living my life less for myself and more for the Lord.