Four Decades

Last Thursday, I turned 40 years old.  There I said it...forty years old!  For some reason, this birthday kinda bothered me a little.  I'm not sure why, but it did.  I'm trusting that what a Facebook friend told me is true.  She said that 40 is the new 20.  We will see.  Since last week, I've been reflecting on the 40 years with which God has chosen to grace me.  Here is a timeline of the significant life happenings from each decade (Every time I type that word, I cringe!):

• Age 1-10:  I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus as my Savior at the age of 9.
• Age 11-20:  I graduated from high school and began college.  I served as a Summer Missionary on the South Side of Chicago (You know the "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" side :).  
• Age 21-30:  I graduated from MS State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and began a career in Psychiatric Social Work.  I got married. I became a mother for the first time.
• Age 31- 40:  I became a mother for the second and third time.  I began the hardest job I've ever had:  I became a stay-at-home mom.  Began blogging.

Not a very exciting life you might say, but there are lots of other things that have happened over the past 40 years that I will "plead the fifth" on.  So much more...

There are so many parts of my life that I could get really puffed up about in the flesh, but what keeps me humble is that there are a trillion more with which I'm not so proud.  I'm so very thankful that God pursued me and called me to Himself at a young age.  As I've thought much about my life this past week, there are many times I have had this thought:  "But without the grace of God I could have, would have....."

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 says,

"You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

I did a little study of this passage, particularly the words "spiritual gift" using my Key Word Study Bible which has an Old and New Testament Lexical Aid.  Here's what the New Testament Lexical Aid said about the phrase "spiritual gift":

The words "spiritual gift" in the original Greek is the word "charisma" which means to show favor.  A gift of grace; and undeserved benefit.  In the N.T., used only of gifts and graces imparted from God, deliverance from peril; the gift of self-control; gifts of Christian knowledge, consolation, confidence; redemption, salvation through Christ.  Specifically of the gifts imparted to the early Christians and particularly to Christian teachers by the Holy Spirit.  The relationship between the grace of God in Christ Jesus and the gifts which it bestows is indicated in 1 Corinthians 1:4-7.  Charisma is the instantaneous enablement of the Holy Spirit in the life of any believer to exercise a gift for the edification of others.

Favor, grace, undeserved benefit, gift, confidence, redemption, instantaneous enablement...I don't know about you, but I desperately need all of those things in my life.  And God HAS BEEN faithful to me.

And yes, I want to be "strong to the end" and "blameless" on that blessed day for which I do eagerly wait for.  I want to be His beautiful bride.  And I am thankful that my Father God is giving me all I need to be just that...a beautiful bride!

Praising the God of my days,
Jennifer