Birthday Reflections

What does it mean to live well as a young adult? Having great ambition? Accomplishing Kingdom work? Achieving a successful career? Going where no one’s gone before? Leaving your mark on the world? Doing more than the average person?

I grew up setting goals and tackling them. I got my BA at 19, had a successful piano studio, was very involved with church, people, and other forms of ministry. I felt pretty accomplished for young person.

But my mid-twenties have been far from that. I lost all of those “successes” and was forced to simply accomplish the bare minimum, mostly due to chronic illness. From my own perspective, it feels like a waste. What have I done? What am I accomplishing? How am I making a difference? What value do I have? Is my life producing anything?

As I reflected back on this last year of life (as I often do on my birthday), I realized I was asking the wrong questions. You see, we have a human problem of comparison, thinking that we have to do what everyone else does in order to be a successful Christian. But often comparison is just foolish (2 Cor. 10:12).

It is commendable to set high goals. But our successes or accomplishments in and of themselves do not make life fruitful.

Physical limitations have kept me from accomplishing as much. Whenever I think about where I’m at in life, it’s tempting to feel like a failure.

But God isn’t looking for my success. He wants my faithfulness. Right now, in this season, life looks significantly different from what I expected. But that doesn’t mean that my life is a waste. And neither is yours.

Obedience is often different than we imagine. Sometimes obedience means remaining faithful in the fire of suffering and not giving up on life. That’s not the type of exciting, risk-taking obedience we imagine when we think of the Christian walk. But it is radical, because it fights against everything we want—our own sin and selfishness. It is the obedience in the hard and mundane that is perhaps one of the most difficult things we will do.

Remembering God’s faithfulness and where He has brought you is key to continuing when everything feels hopeless. When life isn’t going as you expected and it feels like you’ve done nothing worthwhile, look to the cross. Your worth is not in your accomplishments. It’s not in success. It’s not in relationships. It’s not in marriage or ministry.

It’s in Christ.

A life well spent is one where we find our hope and value in Him. And you can do that no matter what season you find yourself or what limitations you have. Take heart:

"His delight is not in the strength of the horse, 

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, 

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, 

in those who hope in his steadfast love." 

Psalm 147:10-11