I DID IT.
21 years of life I have lived, to the best of my ability, on this planet earth.
Can I call that one of my greatest accomplishments or is the plaque being sent to my parents instead..?
If you asked me four years ago what my twenty-first birthday would be like, I doubt it would have any resemblence to the truth. While I can’t (and shouldn’t) speak for my fifteen year old self, I can confidently say that it odds-on had to do with my glorious new freedom to legally consume alcohol.
Because that’s what being 21 is all about.. Isn’t it?
Truthfully, that’s what I thought. Twenty-one is simply the year the United States government deems me mature enough to purchase and consume alcohol.
When I write it and say it aloud, it sounds silly.
Twenty-one means so much more to me. Today, I get to celebrate a life well-lived, and a future I can’t begin to wrap my head around. I get to praise the fact that while I don’t know what tomorrow, the next day, month or year will look like, I know very well who my God is. I get to celebrate the process I started when I said “yes” to Jesus, and the path He’s walked me along thus far. I’m spending my birthday with my heart in a posture of praise. I don’t always love the fact that I don’t know where I am going with the Lord, but today I do.. And that’s a wonderful gift.
When I was in high school I thought twenty-one was when I’d finally have everything figured out and I’d be well on my way to living my best life.
Honestly, that’s exactly what it is.
I mean, you’ll never hear me say that I have it all figured out. I don’t. However, my Papa does and I’ll happily rest easy in that. I really am living my greatest life learning who I am, and figuring out what healthy, biblical leadership looks like. I feel young, proud and humble stepping into the unknown.
Tomorrow, my squad begins to arrive in Atlanta for launch. I am a mix of happy, scared, anxious, excited and overall ready. I look forward to seeing their eager faces, and walking alongside them as they figure out God’s character, who Jesus actually is, and what this World Race is all about. Keep Gap R in your prayers, guys! Launch is big and scary and intimidating, but altogether glorious! For many, it will be the first time they say goodbye to their parents for longer than a week. (and vice versa for the parents!)
In all, twenty-one didn’t begin like I imagined it, but it’s a helluva lot better than I ever expected. So thank you to the United States for their trust in my alcoholic management ability. You’re sweet and I am incredibly flattered. However, twenty-one is going to be so much bigger than that.
