Happy Birthday Eve! I’m Still Here. I’m Not Done.

It’s the eve of my birthday and the fanfare began as soon as we arrived at the Wuerch’s entrance and continued for the rest of the night. I felt so embraced and loved. “70” must be a big deal! Check out the crown and sash: 70 and Fabulous! I’m owning it!

Tomorrow is the official day when after God handcrafted me in my mother’s womb, I made my debut into this world. That may sound self-gratifying, but honestly, I’m just following scripture that says “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as YOU LOVE YOURSELF.” I can’t love you if I don’t love me. I’m thanking God He’s blessed me with a full, blessed and fruitful life, but I think I need to come clean with you today and tell you some of my truths.

I’ve led you to believe that I am a “wonder woman” widow, but the truth is I can sometimes be a whiny, wimpy widow. I may have led you to believe that I’m a “Mary” just sitting at the feet of Jesus. The truth is I am often a “Martha” — too busy for my own good, AND God’s good. I show you my best photos and the truth is I often use my “touch-up” app to help me look my best. This 70-year-old body still has all its 1948 body parts but some of them creak and ache!

That’s my BIG reveal. I feel better about sharing all that with you, because if there’s anything I want my friends and family to know, it’s that “I am a sinner, saved by God’s grace. I make mistakes way too often. I sometimes stumble and fall (literally and spiritually). I often speak up, when I should be silent and listen. I sometimes give advice without being asked. Sometimes I go overboard in my desires to please. I want to be appreciated and be told so. Sometimes I carry a big chip on my shoulder because someone hurt my feelings. And, many times, I wish I could get my “one-way ticket to heaven” sooner than later. But, I don’t let myself stay in any of those negative feelings for very long, because my one determined purpose is to please my Heavenly Father so much, so, I get up, clean up and tell my feelings to shut up and I have a go at it again because this I know with absolute certainty: app to help me look my best.

I am God’s daughter and a lover of Jesus. My greatest love story is that of my Lord and me. I can stand up and keep going because He is my strength and He is stronger than my weakness. He is and always will be my constant. He is and always will be my loudest cheerleader. I was designed to speak, write and declare the good news of my Lord. I was designed to confront darkness head-on with a passionate fire of the Holy Spirit. I was designed to be a leader. I was designed to be authentic and real. I was designed to never give up until I’m taken up. I am determined to finish my race strong.

I take a huge amount of comfort from the Apostle Paul. He said, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-11.

And now, I want to pass along a birthday gift to you. I want to let you know, that you, too, will face some disappointments. You will get challenged and even knocked down. But, here’s the good news for you and me. We will not lose. We will win. We are not alone. We are not going to give up. We are going to keep marching on. Not because we are super human – but because all the power of heaven lives and rests inside of us. We’re still here….so we’re not done! Let’s keep marching, skipping, walking, or running on to our Finish Line where we’ll hear our Divine Cheerleader say to us “Well done, good and faithful servants!”