Just a Number

March has been a busy month for me. There has been a lot going on with my kids (school projects, Boy Scouts, and extra activities), family events, church events, and not to mention my birthday. I turned a whole year older and now I am officially 29 and holding. I am happy to say… I didn’t throw a pity party, hide my head from the world, or crawl in a hole because my life is HALF over. It’s just a number to me. My birthday was like any other day except for that day I got a little more attention.

We can’t let our age, sex, race, social status, or family background hold us back from being who God created us to be or doing what He has designed for us to do. I am fixated on making the last half of my life count extra for God. I don’t want anything to deter me from whatever God has in mind for my future. I’m ready to hit the ground running.

I will have to admit that the last six years or so have not been exactly what I had expected. When my husband and I got married we vowed to stick together through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, til death do us part. I had no idea we would have to literally live that out. I believed it with all of my heart when I said it, but over the last few years I have experienced it firsthand. I love my husband more today than the day we got married. It has been 18 + years and counting yet the vows we made remain just as true today as on our wedding day.

We have faced sickness together. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that my doctor recently shared is a worse case scenario. At my sickest moments, my husband stuck by my bed side, cared for me and the kids, and became mom and dad for a season. His love for me shined through in his actions. He is an amazing man of God and I am blessed.

We have faced financial struggles together. As a result of my sickness, I had to quit my job immediately and my husband had to find a new one. He took pay cuts and worked jobs he hated to take care of our family. In order for me to get healthy, I had to rest which limited my ability to work. My husband picked up the slack in every way. We purged all excess household baggage and did what we had to in order to get by. Even in our lowest times, God has been faithful.

We have faced emotional struggles together. Fear, doubt, disappointment, confusion, discouragement, and feeling stuck to name a few. No matter what we face, we push through it all holding tightly to each other and God. Our lives have been cemented in God from the very beginning. We have chosen to not walk away from Him regardless of any circumstances we face. God has been our refuge through all of life’s storms. I don’t know what I would have done without Him.

I am so thankful this year for so much. Some of these things may seem simple and trivial to you, but they are things I took for granted until they were gone. As I list out a few things I am thankful for, think of what things you have to be thankful for too.

I am thankful for…
~my amazing husband
~my awesome boys
~my family
~to be able to speak
(clearly, loud enough for others to hear, and as much as I want)
~to be able to eat solid foods (whatever I want)
~to be able to stand for long periods of time
~to be able to walk unassisted
~to be able to dress and care for myself
~to be able to leave my house whenever I want to
~to be able to see clearly
~to be able to drive
~to be able to go to church
~to be able to go shopping and carry my own bags
~to be able to hold a baby
~to be able to pray for my kids before bed
~to be able to lead a small group study at my church
~to be able to cook dinner for my family
~to be able to clean my house & do my own laundry
~to be able to have Netflix (I had only Antenna TV when I was sick)
~to be able to go on class field trips with my boys
~to be able to drink with a straw
~to be able to sing
~to be able to work
~to be able to write
~to be able to read
~to be able to get my own mail
~to be able to answer the phone
~to be able to smile and laugh

I am thankful for so many things, but these are just a few off the top of my head. Life has not dealt me the hand I expected, but I can work with what I have been given. Let’s just say that the next half of my life will be experienced walking a little slower. I want to savor each moment making memories that will last a lifetime. We are only given one life to live. I want to make mine count! What about you? What will you do with the life you have been given?

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie