Wearing My 40’s Proudly

Birthday Cupcake With Lit CandleThis week is my birthday. 🙂

I’ve always loved my birthday. (Even if there were a couple of years when moving into the next decade was a little hard to swallow.)

I wonder if God is like a parent—anxious to help His child celebrate her day.

Reminiscing…I remember the day I thought of you. How I enjoyed deciding exactly how to create you! The gifts and skills you would have…the plans I made for you.

And disappointed when we grumble about getting older.

My grandma wore the title of senior citizen proudly. She loved her birthday and until her last few years when she didn’t feel well, she just kept going, keeping busy and enjoying life.

I want to be like my grandma.

I want to wear my 40’s proudly, knowing that I’m better now than in my 30’s. I imagine God smiling and saying…

You go, Girl! Age is not a factor where I’m concerned.

And if I ask God if I’m too old to do something I’ve always dreamed…

Daughter, I created the heavens and the earth. Do you really think you’re too old for what I have planned for you? And how do you know that your life isn’t going according to my plan? Maybe I never intended for your dream to be fulfilled yet. Maybe it’s not time yet.

Maybe it’s not God’s time yet.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

God has plans for us we don’t even know about. Whether they are for our 30’s, 40’s or 70’s is for Him to know. Our job is to trust Him and to follow.

Age isn’t something to get caught up in, but rather to wear proudly. With age comes experience, but there is not cut off point for gaining experience. At every age, we can look back and remember that we know more now than the year before.

How about you—how do you approach your birthday and getting older?

18 Responses to Wearing My 40’s Proudly
  1. Missy
    April 9, 2013 | 6:36 am

    Amen, Laura! Wearing my 40’s is something I choose to do proudly. (In the best possibly sense, of course! 😉 )

    • Laura Rath
      April 9, 2013 | 4:26 pm

      Thanks for your visit and comment Missy. God bless!

  2. Rosann
    April 9, 2013 | 9:04 am

    Oh Laura, what a breath of fresh air this is! I’m turning 40 in May and I’ve been a little bothered by it. I think it’s more of an issue of feeling like I’m running out of time to be active, strong, healthy, etc… but when I think about it, there’s no reason why I can’t be all of those things long into my golden years. It just seems so crazy to think of how FAST the last 20 years have flown by. I mean, it feels like it went in the blink of an eye. And the sad part is, it took almost all 20 of those years for me to become the godly woman I am now. Wish I wouldn’t have wasted so much time chasing meaningless things. :/

    • Laura Rath
      April 9, 2013 | 4:31 pm

      Thank you Rosann. I know what you mean. I had trouble with turning 30 & 40 weeks in advance, but by each day I was okay with it. This year I look back and know that I’m healthier now, physically and spiritually than I was in my 30’s. And my faith has grown exponentially since my 20’s. Yep, I’m better now. 🙂
      Thanks for stopping by! God bless!

  3. Christine Wright
    April 9, 2013 | 10:57 am

    Wonderful post. I can relate since turning 40 a few months ago. I love your outlook!

    • Laura Rath
      April 9, 2013 | 4:33 pm

      Thank you Christine, Bless you!

  4. Kristen
    April 9, 2013 | 1:09 pm

    Happy Birthday Laura! What a great perspective you have. Stopping by from SDG. 🙂

    • Laura Rath
      April 10, 2013 | 9:25 am

      Thank you Kristen. 🙂

  5. Mia
    April 9, 2013 | 2:23 pm

    Dear Laura
    I celebrated my 50th birthday on the 5th and agree with you all the way. Each birthday makes me grateful for more experience and wisdom gained on this road called life. I just wish I could have had this much earlier in life!! Happy birthday to you, dear one.
    Blessings
    Mia

  6. Laura Rath
    April 9, 2013 | 4:37 pm

    Thank you Mia, and happy belated birthday to you! I wonder if I would appreciate my spiritual growth as much as I do now, if I couldn’t see how spiritually deprived I was so many years ago. I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Thanks for your comment. God bless!

  7. jean Wise
    April 9, 2013 | 9:40 pm

    First of all happy birthday. I love how you wrote this post Laura. When I hit my 50s I discovered how much I enjoyed that decade, I told others I wish someone would have told me how good that age was, I wouldn’t have dreaded it as much as I did.

    I read the other day of a 100 year who said if she had known she would have lived to long she would have learned violin when she was 60 – she said imagine 40 years of playing! Now I love that attitude!

    • Laura Rath
      April 9, 2013 | 9:48 pm

      I’m with you Jean, that lady had the right thinking! Lately when I wonder if it’s too late for something, or think something I want will never happen, I’ve been stopping myself and thinking instead…”Who said? I don’t know that it’s too late or that it won’t happen. Only God knows.” Thank you for the birthday wish! 🙂 God bless!

  8. Nikki
    April 9, 2013 | 9:55 pm

    YES! I tell everyone, I wouldn’t dare wish to go back to my 20’s…because look at how much more God was in my 30’s!
    and all these age marks, I’ve earned:)
    Today is too much of a gift to waste…my grandma taught me that and I intend to live that out no matter what the calendar tells me!

    Happiest of birthdays to you, Laura! I sure hope you plan on enjoying your day, for you are worth celebrating!

    • Laura Rath
      April 10, 2013 | 7:28 pm

      Thank you Nikki! {smiles}

  9. Duane Scott
    April 9, 2013 | 10:48 pm

    What a pleasant surprise. It’s not often you find a writer these days who stands out by the beauty of their words. But I love this.

    “I want to wear my 40’s proudly, knowing that I’m better now than in my 30’s.”

    It’s there, isn’t it. Growing deeper in Christ. Thank you for writing and inspiring me.

    • Laura Rath
      April 10, 2013 | 7:29 pm

      Thank you Duane, your kind words have been such a blessing to me today! God bless!

  10. Joelle Brinkley
    April 10, 2013 | 9:57 am

    Happy Birthday! I’m turning 30 this year and boy am I excited! God has brought me through so much in my twentys, so I can only imagine the years ahead until the day I meet my Maker. God’s got some amazing stories of people who weren’t too old to do great things too!

    • Laura Rath
      April 10, 2013 | 7:31 pm

      Amen Joelle! I think we often put limits on ourselves long before we have a chance to see what God has planned for us. Thank you for your comment and birthday wish! May God continue to bless you in your 30’s.