One More Post from the Birthday Boy. . .
 
So, my birthday will officially be over in about a half hour. I think I'm definitely getting older, because I really don't care. It's really just another day, isn't it? I don't feel any older. There wasn't some cosmic shift of the molecular structure of my body that caused me to suddenly become a more mature, responsible adult. And yet, there is a significance in the change of the years, isn't there?
 
25 has always been one of those milestones that I've thought about in my life. 25 has always been viewed as that last border between youth and adulthood for me. See, the early 20s were always looked at, in my mind, as the "Friends" years of my life. It's time to be a single who's learning about the arts, learning about himself, and hitting the dating scene (okay, maybe wishing to hit the dating scene more often). But once you turn 25, it's always been viewed as, in my mind, the start of the rest of your life. I've always felt that those years are when you start settling down, building a family, planning for the rest of your life.
 
Some people get depressed when they hit this age. And I guess I could see that happen in the next few days. After all, I enjoyed the years of college and young adulthood. Learning about film, hanging out until all hours of the night, learning more about culture and the different people in the world. My single years have been--and still are--a blessing, because God has really grabbed my attention and used these years to bring me closer to Him. So, I do look back and know that my years of youth are drawing to a close in the next few years. And yeah, it's sad. But I'm also developing a "been there, done that" feeling to all that. I'm sick of sitting around complaining about our world or just being goofy. I look forward to the experiences that will make up the rest of my life.
 
In the coming years, hopefully, I will get married. And I look forward to marriage. Having someone by your side every day, through the good times and bad, knowing that they are someone who--no matter what changes in life occur--are wanting to stand by your side. I look forward to my wedding and the years after it, before children, when my wife and I can experience life together and have a joy in being with each other.
 
I look forward to having kids. Although I'm quick to grumble about children, I actually can't wait to be a father. I can't imagine anything more challenging, joyful, or rewarding that bringing up a child and watching them grow into the person God wants them to be. I look forward to ball games, dance recitals, Halloweens and Christmases with my children. I can't wait until they're old enough to tuck into bed and read to them. I even can't wait for the teenage years of my children, when I watch them grow closer to adulthood and see the person God is calling them to be.
 
I look forward to the opportunities for ministry as I grow older. As I become more mature in my faith, I look forward for chances to pass that along to the next generation, to be involved with the leadership of the church. Will God call me to get involved supporting missions? Working with the teenagers? Teaching a Sunday School class? Becoming an elder? It's an adventure whose conclusion I can't wait to see.
 
And work. What will be the career choices God will have me make with the rest of my life? Will He use my writing? My love of film? Will I grow more into customer service management roles? Where will He take me with my Master's Degree? Will I go into marketing? Go back to journalism? Could God call me to the mission field?
 
And retirement. After years of labor that started 10 years ago when I was 15, a chance to sit back and enjoy some rest. But not stop working. When I retire, I want to be the retiree who is always extremely involved with the lives of his grandkids and involved in the church. No going to Florida to live and complain about the weather. I want to die knowing that i lived a full life for God.
 
And death. Inevitably that always comes into our dealings with the future. It's funny; the older I get (and I concede that 25 is NOT old), the less I fear death and the more I actually look forward to my exit from this world. Losing the frustrations and futilities and pains that plague us hear and entering into the arms of God. I can't wait for Heaven. I long for Heaven. Some days I just look at the sky and ask "how long"? To know that all our days and years here are only the first sentence of eternity is too amazing for words.
 
And yet, as I look forward to these coming years, I realize that the first verse I read in Proverbs today was "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1). My days are governed by the sovereign will of God. It could be his desire for me to live to 125, 75, 50, or even to die in my sleep. I don't know what He's planned. But He's good. And whatever He wills, I pray that I am willing to accept His will over my desires.
 
C-Dubbs