On Flipping Decades

I remember the first time I watched that monumentally ridiculous chick flick 13-going-on-30.  I remember pondering just how old 30 seemed to be.  It loomed as a distant age residing far away in the murky future.  The mystery of who I would be by the time I actually arrived there was an enigma indeed.  The prospect of being so "old" felt no more real than Frodo and the land of hobbits and elves.

Crazily enough, that day has arrived.  The time for flipping decades and closing a chapter of my life has come.  In some ways, it strikes me as silly that we mark our lives by numbers and assign some sort of weight to age.  Yet, we are human and age does not leave us unscathed in the experience of this world.  Time does pass and our lives and bodies tell the story of years gone by.  We cannot bear the same youth that we did a decade ago.  This truth makes the acknowledgment of time and age vividly relevant.  It is fitting that we understand the imprinting power of time.  However, contrary to what the birthday card industry might indicate, this need not be a woeful thing.

The older I get, the more deeply profound life becomes.  I feel more aware than ever of the absolute desolation of a fallen world.  Yet, I see more clearly the redemptive work of a powerful God in the lives and stories of those who trust Him.  The bittersweet richness of life roots deeper in my soul than it did when I was 20.  In thinking of my great uncle, who is going to turn 103 this year and celebrate his 80th wedding anniversary with his wife in a few days, I wonder just how deep his root system has burrowed compared to mine.  I cannot comprehend it, but this is what makes getting old an incredibly exciting journey.  There is no other way to gain poignant insights and a multi-faceted understanding of life than to live and to let years and experience teach.

So it is that I will enjoy this day and think on all that God has given me in 30 brief years.  I am humbled by His grace and power in my life and am endlessly thankful that I can journey confidently on, knowing that no matter how much time is left for me here, I have a loving Savior who is guiding and guarding my way.  What a glorious truth.  I am ready to dig these roots deeper still.