You're Only Here For Your Life

I just had my birthday. And really, it was the best birthday I've ever had. I'm not sure how that ended up happening, but it was incredible and I'm not going to question or spoil it. It was wonderful; my birthday was not forgotten, but there was no huge focus on me for the first time ever: it was a perfect balance, just the way I like it. In the morning I went to school, and my classes turned out awesome. I went to volunteer at the elementary school, and my kindergarten class threw me a surprise birthday party! (Best party I've ever been to). They showered me with love and excitement. Then I went to work and my boss gave me a present, fussed about me a lot, and hardly let me get any work done. I was wished happy birthday by more people than ever, and was showered with cards that were just perfect for me. In the evening I went dancing. My birthday fell on a the first dancing night in over a month! I was asked to dance every single dance (never happens) and had a huge blast. It was perfect. And after the dancing and frisbee were over, someone decided to embarrass me and get everyone to surround me singing me my birthday song. (I can't thank them enough.) The joy of yesterday has lasted into today. Now, this really has nothing to do with the point of my post, but I had to share my awesome day with someone everyone. :) So, here's the real post:

I turned seventeen yesterday, but it might as well have been my sweet sixteen. Hold the phones, everyone! We're moving way too fast here. Right? I mean, I was just a tot a year or two ago. How could this have happened without me knowing?

Now that's all in fun, but seriously, what on earth happened? They say time passes faster the older you get, and every year that phrase takes new meaning for me. It's the truth. The thing is though, I start to realize something else too. Even though time seems to have gone by really fast, it feels like I've been around for a while: exhaustingly long sometimes. Yet I know that in the span of a life seventeen years really isn't that long. Assuming I live a full, average life, that means I have to live another 60 years; 60 years working, learning, stuffing memories into my brain, etc. How exhausting. That's a long time, to make a tired mind work. Not to mention that with it will come pains and aches that are yet unknown to me (I know, hard to believe a frisbee player isn't aware of something that can hurt), physical and mental failure, and other things. Even though time seems to pass faster as we get older, it also seems to have lasted longer. The longer I'm here, the easier it is to think that the rest of my life could... well, take a while. But really, think about how little time I have to do everything I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to live a testimony. I'm supposed to show the likeness of God; who came as a man to earth, to live the life nobody else could live. He did things that are impossible to us, and yet I am supposed to show His example in only these few years that I have to live on earth. How am I supposed to do that? I have to show perfection. I have to show love. I have to show a good example; no, a great example. I have to show something that is is beyond my comprehension, let alone my reach, and we only have a few years to do it. Yet I think my life is so long, when I really have no time at all.

That's not even counting the things we want to do. Some have aspirations of skydiving, or mountain climbing, or going on adventures. How're we supposed to fit that in on top of living as a testimony? Thank goodness we don't have to do it alone, and that Jesus still mediates for us when we mess up.

I think it's important that we recognize these things: The Psalmist says,

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Psalm 39:4-5

Even if you live a very long time, one hundred years, a full life-span, your life is only a speck on the timeline in the span of eternity; or even just the span of earthly history. It's so small; we're only here for a little while. In the end we only have our lives to live. You have one chance to live, and one chance to live right. This world is not our home; we're only passing through, but we are called to live the Christ-like, God-led life while we are here. You're only here for your life, so take the chance to live your life right while you still have it.

So I want to live. I want to live to the fullest. I want to live like Christ wants me to; and I want to remember to challenge myself every day to do it. Most importantly though, I want to remember to lean openly on my Lord to do it. I hope you do the same. Have a wonderful, God-led / filled day!