Celebrate!

I LOVE birthdays! Not just my birthday, I love celebrating the birthday of my friends and loved ones. I love the hoopla with family, the balloons, the cake, the bright napkins... I love all of it. In fact, for those who know me, know that I have been on a campaign for years to institute “birthmonth” because a day just doesn’t seem enough to celebrate the people we love ;)

One would think that the older one gets the less likely they are to want to celebrate their many, many years on earth.  Not me. I realize I am getting older, but aren’t we all?  I know that I no longer bounce when I fall, or that my my laugh lines are deeper than they were 20 years ago, and that the reason I have bangs is really to hide the ever deepening lines on my forehead.  But, I am okay with it, why?

Because birthdays remind me of God’s faithfulness. As I take time to reflect on the year, I am reminded of how God has been there; how God has provided; and how God has comforted. And remembering that brings me closer to being in the presence of the One who has been with me all these years!

Have you read Psalm 71 lately?  The Psalmist talks about God’s presence through his life.

He says,

From birth I have relied on you;

    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.

    I will ever praise you. (v.6)

Then he says,

Since my youth, God, you have taught me,

    and to this day I declare your marvellous deeds. (v. 17)

And I love this, maybe because I relate to this….

Even when I am old and grey,

The psalmist says,  

I [will] declare your power to the next generation,

    your mighty acts to all who are to come. (v.18)

The psalmist was blessed with God’s presence and faithfulness throughout his life and that is cause for praise! Notice he says he will “declare,” God has been so faithful, so powerful, so mighty through the years that he can’t keep it to himself.  He needs to tell the next generation!

So let’s celebrate birthdays!  Sure, birthdays signify the passage of time but they can also signify another year of God’s boundless love and faithfulness.

You are loved by an amazing God - embrace, wrestle but hang on…cuz' God ain’t done with us yet!

Thank you for helping me celebrate my BIG birthday last Sunday.  Our Amberlea family has caught on to the Birthmonth notion and I love them for it! Thank you!

God has given us much to celebrate!

Celebrate!

Celebrate often!

Celebrate one another!

A prayer for new season

The beginning of a new school year, feels like the beginning of a new year for me. Summer somehow creates a break in the year and in September we get a fresh start.

So whether you are a student going back to school, or starting school for the first time (how exciting!), or a parent sending your little or big kid off,  or perhaps you are an educator, or perhaps none of the above but you, like me embrace the Fall as a fresh start…. This prayer is for you!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of a new school year, a fresh start filled with new opportunities. Our hearts are full of hope and gratitude, and we look forward to the possibilities that lie ahead.

We pray for all the students who are on this journey, for their teachers, and for all the staff who will guide and support them. Grant them wisdom, patience, and a deep sense of purpose in their work.

Lord, bless the classrooms with an atmosphere of respect, kindness, and inclusion. May every student feel valued and cherished for who they are, and may they find joy in both their studies and their relationships.

For us all, we pray for good health, both physically and mentally, so that we may have the strength and energy to face whatever challenges come our way. Grant us resilience in times of adversity and the ability to find joy and contentment in the simple moments of life. We place our trust in you, knowing that you are always with us. Strengthen our faith, give us courage in the face of difficulties, and help us to persevere.

Lord, we also remember those who are less fortunate and may struggle. May we reach out to them with love and support, offering a helping hand when needed. Help us to understand what it means to be the church and to live that out.

Be with us all, dear Lord, in our various stages of life.

We offer this prayer in your name, Lord, trusting in your love and grace. May this new season be a time of growth, learning, and meaningful experiences for all.

Amen.

God, Why aren't you listening?

Have you ever gone to God with a prayer?  A desperate, “Please God, if You only, then I will …” kind of prayer?

I remember when I was in grade 9 I had this huge crush on a grade 12 boy.  He was so cute, and so smart.  All year long we exchanged glances and I would “accidentally” bump into him in the hall. I prayed and prayed that I would have the courage speak to him but the whole year went by and I hadn’t. Then finally at the end of the school year, as we were wrapping things up in the yearbook room, I found myself alone with him. I plucked up all my courage and said,

“Could you pass me the yellow folder, please?”  He smiled, picked up the folder and sat beside me.

My heart was beating so hard and so loud, I was sure he could hear it from where he was sitting.

My prayers had come true.  All the nights I dreamt of this moment.  I just knew that God had heard my prayers! He was going to be my boyfriend and we were going to live happily ever after.  It had to be God’s will because that was what I had been praying for.

Then, out of nowhere this dark haired, beautiful boy leaned over and kissed me right there in the yearbook room!  In hindsight it was just a sweet peck, but it was a kiss!  After I caught my breath, he told me that he was moving to the States to live with his aunt and uncle.  He was leaving the next day.

“NOOOO.”  I was devastated.

“How could You do this to me, God! This guy was the one! I have prayed and prayed and prayed! He was supposed to be the one!  God, what are you doing?” And I even wondered, “God, do you even know what you are doing?”

Of course God did.  Of course God does.

How often in life when we bump up against the unknown we meet with the same answer every time, “Have faith, be patient, it will all work out.”  It’s something that is easier said than done (Proverbs 3:5-6).

However, many years later, I understood.

Looking back, that ‘relationship’ would have never worked. I couldn’t be with someone who randomly kisses girls in a yearbook room ;)

Instead, God put someone else in my life, a boy who was so much more amazing, and much more handsome. A person who adores me, supports me and makes me a better person. All along, despite my little crushes and my desires, God had the perfect person just waiting for me. But God was waiting for me, to wait on Him.

Today, what are you asking God for and not getting? It's frustrating to not know what God has planned, but if you have faith, and put your trust in God, God has something even better waiting for you — better than you can ever imagine. But it’s God’s plan and God’s timing. Are you willing to have faith and wait?

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.  (1 Corinthians 1:25)