On turning 38

One week ago today I turned 38-years-old.  I'm glad I'm blogging again because it encourages me to reflect and try to think of some positive things to say about turning one year older instead of just focusing on the fact that there are so many things that depress me about having a 38-year-old body.

So, let's just start with the positive.  Below are the treasures I woke up to on the morning of my birthday.  The most colorful flowers my hubsand of 9 years could find, a short, heartfelt SUPER SWEET note from him, and two hand-made birthday cards by my big boys.  These made me smile for a long time after seeing them.  So great.  And they made me remember how blessed I am to have all my sweet boys.

After the cards and flowers, the day continued like a run-of-the-mill Monday as Nathanael and Josh headed off to school and Hunter, Levi, and I settled in for a day of homeschooling.   As I went about some duties that sometimes make me grumble such as hand washing dishes endlessly and sweeping the floor over and over again, I realized that they didn't seem so mundane this day because all day long I had it in the back of my mind that it was my birthday!!   It's hard not to feel special and in a good mood on your birthday, isn't it?   I found myself wishing that I could always feel as special as I did on my birthday, so that I could find more joy in my daily, never-ending tasks.

As soon as I had that thought, it hit me how absurd it is that I forget on a daily basis how much more I have to be joyful about instead of waiting for a birthday once a year on this temporary earth!!!  I'd been listening to the book of Ephesians for a few mornings and asking God to drill it into my heart that "He has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ, that in Him I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on ME!!"  HELLO???  Teri Pence!  How much more valuable and wonderful and endlessly joyful should these things be in making me feel special instead of just a birthday while living in this temporary, fallen world in a body that's wearing out year by year??  If I could really, truly understand this truth and know it to the fullest in my heart, it's like SOO much better than a birthday EVERY DAY!  It's a joy that's worth a thousand birthdays!! Amen!

After Josh got home from work we headed out for one of my favorite activities: a picnic dinner on the beach.  

 We picked up some subs and watermelon and chips had a picnic at Wiggin's Pass. 

Nathanael was annoyed that he was expected to sit still and eat dinner when the fun-filled, tempting sounds of the waves crashing were just yards away from our table.  He made sure he was the first one finished, and his brothers and I weren't far behind. 

We found our place in the sand as Josh cleaned up dinner for us. 

Levi starts out at the beach really annoyed by the shifting sand beneath his feet and all the sounds and textures that he's not used to, but he warmed up to the idea of being there quicker this time than ever before.  He happily plopped  himself down next to me to play with his truck as his brothers splashed and swam in the water. 

After a while we were able to get him to move up a little closer to the waves.

And soon after that he wanted to get in the water instead of us 

just having to carry him in, protesting  and crying, like in the past.

So, there are many things on my body sagging that never used to be.  I am getting age spots and my grey hairs have increased 1000 fold since I discovered my first one on my 23rd birthday.  My body creaks and aches and I find myself squinting as I read.    And I continually struggle with impatience and ungratefulness and immaturity and pride and self-discipline and bitterness and unforgiveness in many areas of my life.  And I am SO aware of all these things and hopelessly wish that the Lord would hurry up with me and get all that junk out of my heart for good. But I'm operating on HIS timetable and not mine. 

But, I can look back and see that He is working in me.  While not as quickly as I'd like, He is.  I'm not the person that I was on my 37th birthday.  And I'm not the person I was 5-years ago, PRAISE GOD!!  My heart longs to be the woman and wife and mother and daughter-of-the King that I know He created me to be, but my sinful flesh keeps me from being.

 How wonderful it is to know that someday I will be united with Him for eternity with no more pain, sorrow, or sin. How wonderful it is to know that He who began a good work in me here on earth will be faithful to complete it.  Here's  to one more year of Him doing just that.  One more year of learning to abide in Him as He teaches me to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.  Amen.