A Happy Birthday
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was published at Christian Families Online on July 7, 2001)
I received an e-mail from a friend a while back. She too is a writer, struggling to make a living doing what she does best. It was her birthday, and she was reflecting on becoming another year older, which isn’t particularly her favorite thing about which to reminisce.
“Every year,” she stated, “I’ve always thought, ‘Well, here I am, another year older and still no closer to my goal of being an accomplished writer than I was a year ago.’ But this year is different,” she continued. “I really feel as though I have finally accomplished some major steps in the right direction.”
With my own birthday upon me, I have thought a lot about what she said. The word ‘accomplished’ is what caught my attention. I don’t gauge my life on my successes or failures. If I did, I would never be satisfied, much like I felt she was saying. There are just too many times of failure in life. No. I don’t base my happiness on how successful I am as a writer or anything else for that matter. I base my happiness and gauge my life instead on how close my walk with Jesus is.
Every day when I wake up, I do not pray, “Lord, help me write a successful article today.” If I did that, and then was not able to write a good article that day, wouldn’t it be God’s fault? I would end up blaming God for my failures. Instead, when I wake up each day I pray, “Lord, thank you for waking me up today. Be with me and help me love you and please you in all I do, and say, and write.” By praying this instead, I have a lot better chance of going to bed at night happy, satisfied, and thanking God for a great day, whether or not I wrote a great article.
No matter what we do in life, we cannot be successful 100% of the time, and asking God to make us that successful is taking the wrong approach. We would just be setting ourselves up for disappointment. So, as another year of my life comes to an end, and I reflect back and gauge where I am today compared to where I was a year ago, am I happy? You bet! My only goal is to see his kingdom and his righteousness, and because I do that, He blesses me with successes along the way. So, in a sense, I am then satisfied with my successes and accomplishments (however few or many they may be) because I know they came from God. I get the best of both worlds.
Are you reflecting back on another year? To everyone out there with a birthday at hand, as you read this article, happy birthday! But, when you look back, don’t look for the successes or failures. Instead, look for God. Do you see Him at work in your life? Remember that success, no matter how bad you want it, may not be what God has in store for you. Seek Him first, and He will give you the desires of your heart.