Another Year... Another Reminder

So, another year has passed, and I am getting older. I don't mind, although I often wonder where the time has gone, and why has it gone so quickly.

Anyway, my birthday was this past weekend and I can't help but remember a comment my son made a couple years ago.

It was the year I turned thirty-three. We had been having a fun, together-at-home day. Late in the afternoon, my son all-of-a-sudden gasped REALLY LOUD...

"Mom!" He exclaimed, with a look on his face that told he had a great revelation.

"What, Honey?" I just knew it was something sweet and profound. It was my birthday, right?

And without missing a beat, he informed me, "You're as old as Jesus was when He died!"

Let's just say that everyone else there laughed. Hard.

I attempted to keep a straight face and looked at my loving boy, Josh. "Wow. I hadn't thought of that. And I'm so proud of you for remembering how old Jesus was when He was crucified, and then rose again. Thank you for telling me."

My husband, Jeremy, (after he picked himself off the floor from laughing) tousled our sweet boy's hair and Josh ran off to build something with legos, I'm sure. Jeremy smiled, "Out of the mouths of babes, huh?"

We laughed, and we have laughed about it ever since, but it has also made me think. Josh did say something very profound that day.

Jesus lived such a short life here on earth and yet, accomplished so much. And He was perfect. Sinless. Never made a mistake. As believers, we are supposed to be striving to be like Him. So, on that day of my thirty-third birthday, my son reminded me of what I should be working toward. These precious years we've been given in this life are not about us. And in our society of "Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!" lives are lived selfishly but does it help us in any way?

My questions for today are not easy. What are you living for? WHO are you living for? What have you done with your life? It doesn't matter if you are sixteen or sixty - these questions still apply to you. Are you caught up in the day-to-day stress and forget the end goal? Are you running toward that finish line? Where is your focus? Do you get distracted and take little side trails?

I wrote a post a while ago entitled, "Running... Out of Time"
I've updated it a little and am reposting it. I think we all need the reminder.

"Running... Out of Time"
I'm always amazed at how time flies! Our beautiful daughter had brain surgery almost FOUR years ago; it feels like it was just yesterday, and it also feels like a lifetime has passed since then. Where did the time go? My kids were babies just yesterday . . . weren't they? And now I have two teenagers!

My title for this was: Running . . . out of time. Aren't we all running? Shouldn't we be running? Hebrews 12:1-3 says this, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." (NASB)

So yes, I'm running. And I'm running out of time - we ALL are. I'm running the race set before me and as the enemy tries to steal my time (especially my writing time, it seems) I'm going to keep ON running. How many more people will God place in my path? I don't know - because I don't know how much time I have left -- but I DO know that He wants me - and all of us - to be lights for Him, use the gifts that He has given us, and keep running the race.

Throw off those encumbrances, get rid of that sin, fix your eyes on Jesus and let's run with whatever amount of time we have left.

***This is a revised version of a post I wrote a couple of years ago***