Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday. And, to be honest, it’s my first sober birthday in five years. I used to celebrate my birthday with friends and drinks. But this year is different. This year, I celebrated my birthday with parents and water. And, to most people, that may sound completely boring but, to me, it was the best birthday ever.

I love my birthday. A lot of people think that makes me selfish and that’s probably true. I used to love my birthday for very different reasons than I do now. I used to love my birthday because people focused all of their attention on me. I used to love my birthday because I could virtually do anything that I wanted to do without being condemned for it. That is why I loved my birthday. But, after today, I would have to say that is not why I love my birthday. I love my birthday because on this day, in 1986, my parents got married. On this day, in 1987, God brought me to life. And, on this day, in 2010, I celebrated my first birthday as a Christian. I couldn’t have been given a greater gift than God’s eternal love, grace, and mercy.

But, as far as presents go, I did receive quite an extraordinary opportunity a few days before my birthday. On Tuesday, I had a phone interview with one of the coordinators of the Chicago Inner-City Project. We talked for awhile about my walk with God and, at the conclusion of the interview, I was invited to participate in the Chicago Inner-City Project this summer. The project begins June 10th and ends on August 6th. I couldn’t be any happier to serve the Lord and His children in Chicago this summer.

Before I conclude this post, I want to mention something that I learned recently: Your walk with God isn’t always going to be easy. I was told this the other day and I thought, “What?” Then, today, I experienced it. And I get it now. There’s always going to be struggles. Sometimes it’s difficult to have God as your number one priority all of the time. I mean, sometimes I miss my past life. I miss the people that I used to call friends. I miss partying. I even miss swimming. The point is that sometimes I miss all of it. But the key is that it’s only sometimes. I don’t think about 24/7 because I keep myself focused on the present. I keep myself focused on my family, my church, my job. But, most of all, I keep myself focused on God. Because, in the end, God’s opinion is the only one that matters. Only God has the authority and power to judge me. I want to serve Him and praise Him in everything that I do. I only want to bring glory to Him — not to myself. I don’t want glory for myself anymore — not even on my birthday. I thank God for the life that He has given me on this earth. I have been blessed with wonderful parents and an amazing brother. I am so thankful for this life. Even more so, I am thankful for eternal life by the grace of God. I am thankful for Jesus and His unfailing love. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit and His presence in my day-to-day life. I am thankful for this day, my birthday, and every day that I have left to praise God for who He is. Even with the struggles, I am thankful. Thanks be to God.

I love you and God Bless,

Sarah