Today's my birthday! Yay! =) Oops, it's a Lenten Friday. I'm supposed to be solemn. Well, it could be worse. Two years ago, my birthday fell on Ash Wednesday... so I had to fast and repent on my birthday. "Penitence is good for the soul," says one of my teachers. Perhaps, but too much penitence can be bad too. One should not be so stuck on one's own failures and shortcomings that one cannot see the good news: the news that Christ has made up for all your weakness. It is the joy of that realization that makes me cry out with joy on this day. Today is a reminder that God has been faithful to me for 24 years, even though I've been so unfaithful to Him.
24... such a pretty, round number. Quite divisable. If the average age of a person lives until age 72, I'm about a third of the way through this journey. Considering the fact that I'm also graduating from grad school this year, perhaps now is a good time to take a look at where I've been, where I'm going, and where I'd like to be.
Looking back, these 24 years have been hard, but they've been fun. There's been joy, there's been pain. There's been laughter, there've been tears. More than anything, I think growth has been the central focus of these years. Growing in faith, growing in knowledge, growing in wisdom, growing in love. Growing physically, growing mentally, growing emotionally, growing spiritually. While I'm sure I'll still learn something new every day, these next few years will probably be marked by finding out what God wants me to do, and actually trying to do it. Hopefully, interviews and the service trip to Mexico will give Him a chance to speak to my heart about these things. I don't want to be someone who just tries to get by, and will look back at age 48 and wonder what happened. Life is short, and life is precious. I understand that. So I resolve, this very moment, to make a commitment to life. I don't want to squander the gifts that I was given. So please pray for me, as I reflect on my goals and my dreams these next few weeks.
On the slate for my birthday? Recording, 1pm-5? Wushu? I need to bring flags (for broadswords)for some people. Also, I'd like to learn butterfly twist! It would be so perfect to do it on my birthday. Of course, all this hinges on my knee actually being ok for me to practice on. I messed it up on Monday, trying to land a jump-outside crescent kick. After that, I'm planning on going out to dinner with friends from the floor. All in all, it should be an action-packed day.
Saturday's going to be pretty crazy too. Interview at 8:30am, in San Mateo. After that, recording, all day. Schoolwork? Nah. We don't do that in college. Well, especially not on our birthdays. =)