I turned 37 on July 30th, and I feel new. This summer has been one of much growth and on my birthday, God truly stamped a few lessons. #1? I am not in control. Though I didn’t make huge plans for my birthday, I did want to do a few things, and you know what? Nothing went according to plan. It was all good, though, as I was able to see the lessons in it for me. As I’ve entered into a new year of life, I am thankful to be able to see what God is teaching me. So in this Happy 37th Birthday post, I’m going to share the top 7 lessons I’m currently learning.
1. I am not in control.
This is by far #1. God has been opening my eyes to the fact that I’m not in control, though in many ways I thought I have been. God blesses us with abilities to do things, but we have to keep in mind that we are merely doing our part. We’re not in control. Nor can we bank on what will happen tomorrow. We can’t even bank on what our activities will produce. This is humbling. Yes, we till our land, but we can’t say when the harvest will come, or even how it will come. We simply do our part and trust God to do what only He can do. We know that He knows what’s best for us and we know that He is in control. Not us.
2. Humility is a necessity.
Humility is a necessity, and humility must be developed. In order for us to grow in humility, we must yield to the seasons that God will walk us through. So often, we abort the process of following Christ, when things don’t go our way. Or, we forge our own path when we feel as though His process is taking too long. We impatiently and proudly forfeit God’s plan for our lives, and take things into our own hands.
Pride is very dangerous. It is blinding and it always leads to destruction [Proverbs 16:18]. As our Pastor often says, we can choose our sin, but we can’t choose our consequence. So, though it may temporarily feel good to divert from God’s humbling path, we never know how we will pay for it.
Though humility will cost us up front, it is good for us, and it will pay off in the long run. Pride initially feels good and pays us up front, yet it will cost way more in the long run.
3. Focus on growth.
For most of my life, I’ve always had a destination-focused mindset. Now, however, I can see that God is changing my mindset to be more focused on growth. The destination is merely the result of growth. Growth is what prepares us for where we’re going. Consider where you want to be. If you were to land there tomorrow, would you be ready? Likely not, as God must prepare us for what He has for us and this. is. a. process.
Consider the Israelites being freed from slavery. Though God already had the promised land for them, they weren’t ready for it yet. Why? Because of where they’ve come from, what the’ve endured, what they’ve done. The same is true for us. We must slow down, trust His process, and allow Him to prepare us for what He has for us.
4. Trust.
As I shared in lesson #1, God is teaching me that I’m not in control. The reason why I attempted to control was due to my lack of trust. He is now maturing me in trust, allowing me to know that I merely do my part, and trust Him to do His part. God, being a perfect Heavenly Father will take care of me and bless me. As His children, we must know that. That will empower us to trust Him, and not ourselves. The Bible never instructs us to trust and care for ourselves. We are directed over and over to trust God to take care of us.
When we trust Him, we are relaxed; when we are attempting to control, we are tense.
There is an ease that comes with trusting Him to take care of us. I’m reminded of the passage found in Matthew 6, where Jesus instructs us not to worry, but to prioritize God’s kingdom, and allow Him to provide for us.
5. Prioritize marriage & family.
It is so easy for us to throw ourselves into work and literally everything else, while neglecting our most important priorities. The Lord is growing me in prioritizing and putting intentional energy into marriage & family. The family is under attack, and one way that Satan gains an advantage in our lives is due to our lack of prioritizing family.
When we neglect our family, it becomes vulnerable to attacks.
There is so much evil in the world, that we must become more intentional to prioritize marriage & family.
6. Don’t be selfish.
Selfishness is often the root of much of what we do. As we grow in God, we should, however, become less selfish and more selfless. Christ is the epitome of selflessness. He put the needs of others above His own interests. He laid down His life so others may live. If we want to gauge our selfishness level, we ought to look at Christ.
Consider the once common phrase, WWJD? Studying His life and ministry in the gospels, will provide us much insight into what selflessness looks like. Christ had no hidden agenda, He remained focused on His Father’s business [Luke 2:49]. He didn’t walk around bragging about His accomplishments or His inherent power; instead, He walked around serving.
He focused on others, not on His self.
We too, must grow out of selfishness and mature in selflessness. How will we know we’re growing in this area? By assessing our thoughts; by considering how flexible we are; or by examining how we spend our time and money. We ought to be generous with all that God has given us, as He has been so generous toward us.
7. Rest.
As I consider this list, I feel that all of the previous lessons lead right into #7. By growing in the previous points, I will be able to enter into His rest. Control, pride, and selfishness, to name a few, all limit rest. They hinder it by continually pushing you around. Do this, do that, make this happen, they all say; while trust assures you that God sees you, that He knows you, that He is guiding you into all that He has for you.
I’m reminded of Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Walking denotes peace to me. Trust. There is no rush, no strife, no worry. Just faith. As followers of Christ, we must focus on walking in faith. As we do this and prioritize God above all, He transforms us and blesses us far above what we could ever imagine.
I can admit, never before in my life have I ever prioritized rest. As I’m now 37, I’m thankful to be entering into this new season of rest. I thank God for His blessing and allowing me to experience it while in the land of the living. My scripture for this new year of life? Isaiah 30:15a.
“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:”
