Big Kid Now

Today is my 18th birthday. It's been quite a ride, although nothing short of amazing. I have been so blessed to see a lot and do a lot, thanks to God and my wonderful family who give me so many incredible opportunities.

I've also learned a lot. More than "a lot," rather. If there's one fact that has really been made clear to me over the years, it is that life goes on....and it moves pretty fast.

I think back to when I was a little girl and wasn't tall enough to ride the "big kid rides" at the amusement park. That seemed like such a huge deal to me, and sometimes I would stuff paper towels in the heels of my shoe so that I had the few extra inches needed to experience the coolest, fastest, most daring rollercoaster in the park. I can remember wanting more than anything to be old enough to sit in "big kid" church or order off the "big kid menu" or watch a "big kid" movie.

Now I am officially a big kid. And it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

Responsibilities are bigger, work loads are bigger. There's more stress and less "play," more things to get done, more deadlines to meet. There's taxes to pay, clothes to wash, rooms to clean, people to please, and not enough hours in the day.

Life is hard, and I'm told is doesn't get any easier. I believe it. 

Why is it so easy for us to look forward to the "not yet", reminisce about "what was" and yet struggle to live in the "right now?" Right in front of us, the present moment becomes a memory of the past and all so suddenly we find ourselves in the future we hoped would arrive soon. It's kind of a paradox when you think about it.

With the knowledge that time flies by, so I have come to realize a secret to at least make life feel like it's slowed down: Embrace every moment as if it was a precious, extraordinary gift from God..... because it is.

With every thought, we should have an awareness of His presence and likewise a spirit of thankfulness.

Psalm 118 says "Today is the day the LORD has made, rejoice and be glad in it!" There will never be another day like today. Never ever ever. It's not just a "once in a lifetime" day, it's a "once in forever" blessing. Friend, that is HUGE!!!!

Picture this: There's a pirate searching for buried treasure on an abandoned island. He looks ahead as far as the eye can see and notices mountains in the distance. He wonders if the treasure lies somewhere out there, and he worries how he'll ever be able to scale those majestic walls to find the loot. The pirate then looks back as far as the eye can see and observes the calm, blue ocean that stretches for miles upon miles. He wonders if the treasure lies somewhere out there, cached deep in the sand. He worries how he'll ever be able to navigate the waters and doubts himself ever locating the chest's coordinates. If only the pirate would think to look down at his feet... because then he'd realize he's been standing on the "X" all along.

We already have the key to the buried treasure, only in order to open it we must unlock the present moment.

There's a passage of Scripture (Matthew 6:25-34) that addresses our natural flaw as humans: we worry.

Verse 27 reminds us that we cannot add a single hour to our life by worrying. So, we must believe the simple truth that God Takes Care Of Us!!!! He always has, He always is, He always will. He promises to do so for forever, and forever is a very long time.

The last verse of this passage summarizes its entire message: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (37).

In translation, embrace today. When we do, we play more, see more, laugh more, love more, learn more, and live more.... just as if we were a kid again. I'm convinced that a "child" still remains in every one of us. What if we viewed the world through that lens?

Growing old is no option. Growing up is.

-Rachel



Writers Note: We had a very bad storm yesterday and lost power until early this morning, so there is no blog for 6/29.