I am so amazed each time I look at my calendar to see this
year is almost at an end! Good heavens, the time flies so fast. I catch myself
telling younger people how much more quickly it goes the older you get. Young
people do not always believe it, especially teens. For me, it's rather like
hearing the ticking clock inside the crocodile that haunted Captain Crook in
the Peter Pan classic. I can be minding my own business and there it is - the
ticking off of minutes…tick, tick, tick. Add to that the flipping of the pages
of the calendar, which goes so fast it sounds, in my ears, like the shuffling
of a deck of cards…bluurrrp, bluurrp, bluurrp. Put all together, you have a Symphony
of Passing Time…tick, tick, bluurrp, tick, tick, bluurrp…
In a conversation with my friend, Mina, yesterday, she
brought up how as she gets older she is enjoying the freedom that comes with
life. I agreed. I have much more personal freedom at this stage of my life than
ever before. Mina and I agreed it's a God thing. This comes from knowing who I
am in Christ, my identity is based on that alone, not some warped perception or
expectations the world has for me. Then I got an email from another friend,
Mary, telling me of the personal traditions she practices at Christmas that put
her closer to God and how meaningful it is to her. She commented, "I know
that tradition seems silly to other people but I feel it and enjoy it – and
that is what counts!" Good for you, Mary!
This is not the same thing as the mentality from the 60's
and 70's, "It's your thing, do what you want to do!" I know the
difference, I was there doing my own thing. No, it's not about social rebellion
or personal expression. It's about confidence, confidence that comes only from
knowing your position as a child of God. I know He looks at me and sees the
daughter of the King; I am a princess! I no longer care if my clothes are in
fashion, they aren't. My hairstyle is one that makes me comfortable, not one
that is trendy. I don't lose sleep over who might like it or not. When your
priorities are around Jesus and who you are in Him, nothing else really
matters. I neither need nor seek approval from people of the world. That,
Folks, brings a bunch of freedom!
When I look in the mirror and see all that sags, surrendered
to gravity, I remind myself that God sees His little princess when He looks at
me. He knew the clay vessel He gave me to walk around in would suffer the
ravages of time and environmental decay. He sees the inner me, the spirit me,
the one that will sit at his feet in praise. Freedom to be that me is freedom, indeed!
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