Happy Birthday to my Sister Friend!!!!

Yep... today is Rebecca Jo's Birthday!!!! So if you the get the chance, hop on over to her blog and give her a Birthday Blessing!!!!!

Birthday's are funny things... as children we can't wait for them to roll around. We are excited about everything from the cake to the gifts... we dream about making a wish and blowing out the candles... we anticipate the gifts we will receive... we look forward to everyone marking the day of our birth with celebration.

The older we get... the more we just long for the day to go by just as any other day of the week. Oh... we enjoy the cards and well wishes... we all love to be noticed... but the older we get the more regrets we have... the more "what-ifs" and "if onlys" seem to follow us around. And I know this because in a few short days I will celebrate a birthday as well! But something hit me this morning that might just make a difference in how I view birthdays....

.... God has given us the greatest gift... forgiveness.... and not just for our PAST sins, but our PRESENT ones and our FUTURE ones! And because He sent His Son to die in our place, we can live our lives NEW EACH DAY. So this morning it hit me... those "if onlys" from my past... they no longer exist in the mind of God. Oh... he knows they happened... but he chooses to forget them... so if he can, shouldn't I? And those "what ifs" ... it is the same. When I opt to bring those past hurts and failures to the front of my life and hold on to them, setting them before me like a banner flying in the wind, they are only seen by me, and maybe by those who long to see me fail. God has already wiped that portion of my slate clean, through the blood of His Son! If he can do that, then I guess it is time for me to pack those banners away as well!

Oh, don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that I relish turning 50... nope... not at all... but it does mean that as this day approaches I am going to make a real effort to focus on all the things that God has done for me... and will continue to do for me... and live the next 50 years serving Him and praising Him for the gift of a fresh start EACH AND EVERY DAY!!

So with that thought in mind... doesn't that make each and every day a "birth" day???? Yep... so why worry about ONE day a year?!!!!! Let's get back to viewing each "birth" day with eyes of wonder... and revive that youthful longing so we can receive the Gift that God has given us with the abandon of a child!!!!