OK, so maybe it’s NOT YOUR birthday… but it was mine on June 30, 2022! 59 trips around the sun! I officially started my final year before I hit the big 60 year mark! Wow… How’d I get so old so fast? This landmark in the timeline of my residence on the planet is enough to give me pause to consider some things… I mean… is it really, REALLY a “happy birthday”?
BLESSINGS… I’ve had way more than my share…
My God- He’s blessed me with amazing grace, incredible mercy, unending love and hope that will not die… UNBELIEVABLE.
My Family- My wife, kids, grandkids, and amazing extended family… AMAZING.
My Friends- My growing up clan, school friends, church friends, sports friends, business friends… INCREDIBLE.
My Jobs- the churches I’ve served, the businesses I’ve built, and even those early “kid” jobs that helped shape me. AWESOME.
I could go on and list the way God has blessed me materially, spiritually, educationally and socially… IS THIS CRAZY OR WHAT?
Plain and simple… I’ve gotten way more than I should have, far more than I deserved, dreamed or imagined. Leadership means having the ability to step back, survey the landscape of life with honesty and clarity, and dig deep enough to enjoy that view when you can, and adjust course when you need to do so.
Today, when I pause for a moment to take in that “59 year” landscape, I can say that I’m more than just happy…
I’M THANKFUL.
If I live only one more day, or 59 more years, I will step into eternity with thanksgiving, with humility and knowing that the One who made me loved me beyond measure. Every day thus far has been an object lesson for me to see God’s love in action, both in my own life and in the lives i’ve been honored to cross paths with.
So… “Happy” birthday? Absolutely… Happy, and so much more.