"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." Psalm 7:17
"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2
Today I turn twenty-five, and that number is a little overwhelming for me. I know it's not old, and I still have so much youth in me but I feel like it's this strange milestone I've reached. It's not so much the number twenty-five as to where I'm at opposed to where I've been. It's this new season I am in that makes twenty-five seem so overwhelming, and to be honest it's a little frightening. I've been finished with school for over two years. I've been working a full time job since one month after I graduated. I am an adult. I'm married to my best friend, and I absolutely love it! But with marriage comes responsibilities in the home and.. learning to give up self. My very best friends are scattered all over the state and country, and to be honest making new friends like those I had in high school and college has not been the easiest feat, although God has definitely blessed me with new ones. I love the life God has given me, and I am so exceptionally abundantly blessed, but all the changes that have occurred in the course of the year have been a little bit of a struggle for me.
With all that being said, I choose today to allow my identity to be in Christ and Christ only- not a number or circumstances. I choose today to only sing songs of Praise to my King. I choose to celebrate the life God has given me and the places He has taken me and will take me. I'm so thankful for the husband I have and the man of God he is and the truth he brings to my life. I love serving Seth and learning how to be a help-mate for him. I'm thankful for the job God has provided me so that I can give back to Him. I find so much joy in laboring for my Lord and Savior. I'm so thankful for the consistency my job has brought me and the opportunity to make new friends and build new relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm thankful to be able to serve in the same church every Sunday. I'm thankful for the lessons God brings me everyday. I'm thankful for twenty-five years of learning experiences, and twelve years of growing in Christ! He will use my experiences and my knowledge of Him to lead others through valleys. And I am thrilled for the journey He is taking me on, and the works He is going to do through me. I will trust Him as He leads me through this season, and I will give Him all the praise!
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20
Side note: August is my favorite month of the year. I always loved going shopping with my Mom for school clothes and supplies for my birthday. I've always loved the start of a new school year with new classes and teachers and seeing friends after a long summer break. And to be honest, the past three Augusts I've missed "going back to school".
