Yesterday was a special in our family. The gentleman of my household shares a birthday with our youngest granddaughter. She delightedly turned 20! He, on the other end of the journey of life, rejoices that he is still well and able to celebrate this shared birthday with her.

Birthdays turn our focus on age, our own and others. At least for that day we are very much aware that the number on our personal calendar of life has just flipped over to the next digit. Sometimes we welcome that new number, sometimes we groan at this reckoning of time.

I remember turning 16 – what a thrill! I could earn real money at a part-time job!

I remember turning 30 – believe it or not I cringed at that one. My twenties were over; I felt so old!

I remember birthday #50 – ah, said I, the half way point of life! (Optimistic wasn’t I?)

Life gives us no guarantees. None of us can count the days of our life, nor would we want to. But we can open our eyes each morning in gratitude for the day we have been given. And when it is a special day, all the more reason to give thanks to God.

In Psalm 90:12, Moses offers these words of wisdom: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I don’t think Moses was being a pessimist here, rather a simple realist. Our days are numbered. We are blessed with a limited time on this earth. When we remember this simple fact, we are encouraged to cherish the opportunities provided by each new day – “that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Remember, your loving God has loved you unconditionally from the day you were born until this very day. And He will never stop loving you . . .

Judy