Celebrating Power and Life

I considered titling this entry "Expectations Part II" as a follow up from my last post about Expectations. Whatever your expectations are for the future, here's a little message I've been pondering about my own:

I don't know too many people who don't like their birthday. I just had my 31st, hence, one reason for a delay in writing and posting this week. In my life, birthdays really do keep getting better and better! I was reflecting on how sad I feel when I hear people complain about getting older or connect their number of years to a degrading quality of life. It's true that as we get older, our bodies certainly change and even, possibly, our health may decline; our energy is definitely not the same as a child's, but our capacity and wisdom will grow year by year. If we allow, our compassion expands, our love endures, and our opportunities for loyalty and faithfulness grow and develop as well. Age, in my opinion, or "aging" is such a wonder and a beautiful thing! 

At 38 weeks pregnant now, I'm considered "near-term". The baby's brain and lungs are still developing, while almost every other system and organ are considered fully developed and ready for survival outside of the womb. Many people caution us that "any day" the baby can be born; but we want our child to age fully before birth! Our expectation is that the fullness of development will take place within me before baby's birth day, and not a day sooner will we see his or her face. Yes, we wait. We prepare. We live with expectation! But the arrival of our child is not a matter of rushing, in our opinion, which leads me to believe that aging, whether through youth, teen or adult years, is also not a matter of rushing in God's point of view. Whatever stage we are in our faith, whether our spirits are as newborns, eating only from a supply of milk, or if we've matured and are eating spiritual "meat" (solid food), God looks at our growth and lives with pleasure and love! As a loving Father, He is delighted in each passing day and passing year, celebrating our life because it is valuable and meaningful. 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, BUT a dream fulfilled is a tree of life! Marriage and motherhood have been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and while there are moments that pass by unnoticed, that perhaps I take for granted, I am learning to slow down again and savor this dream coming true, as my husband and I wait for parenthood to truly begin with our newborn! As we wait, we're reminded of how important are our words and our thoughts. There is power in our speech, which stems from our thought process, and I would even say, originates in our spirits. The power of life and death are in the tongue. 

Some questions to consider: 

What do you "feed" your spirit: liquid "milk" or solid "meat"?

How do you think about your dreams? Do you hold them with hope, regardless of how long they seem to be taking to manifest into a reality of life?

Do your words match the hopes and dreams within your heart? By this, I mean, do you tell yourself and others that your dreams are impossible, or do you carry confidence that one day- no matter what it takes- they'll happen?

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I would love to hear from you in the comments below, or directly, any of your answers to these questions, or how you've been able to process and celebrate your birthdays year by year. Wherever you are in your process, I honor and celebrate you!