This past Saturday was my 32nd birthday. And while 32 didn't cause any major consternation in the bowels of my soul, the issue of birthday evaluation has been rolling around in my head. How do I more faithfully think about my life at the mile-markers of my birthday?
The temptation, of course, is to ask all the same questions that the world is asking: where am I in the food-chain? Am I successful enough? Did we start kids too late (by 32 my parents had a 10 year old and an 8 year old--I remember my parents turning 32)? Oh my goodness, kids take up lots of time and energy, did we start kids too soon? Do I have enough friends? Do I have the right kind of friends?
I remember a couple years ago my very wise brother talking about his birthday thusly: "Birthdays don't freak me out because I've decided not to buy into the popular culture's idea that youth reigns supreme. Scripture seems to talk a lot more about the wisdom of age, I think I'll go along with that."
Good stuff.
I think that I want better questions than the ones I listed. I need better questions to ask so that I'll ask through the lense of faith rather than the lense of what the world dictates as success. The best leaders, the most faithful people, the most influential ones, are the ones who ask the right questions rather than have all the right answers. The best businessmen, plumbers, t.v. executives, teachers, home-makers, theologians, and I.V. staffworkers are the ones who are asking the better questions which frame their labors in the right way. I want better birthday questions so that I'll be pointing my ship in the right direction.
The only question, then, is what are those questions?
3 comments:
Happy Birthday!
re: the questions - "Do I have enough friends? Do I have the right kind of friends?"
Frankly, and I'm speaking as a friend here, the answers to those questions are: yes, and yes. I'm offended that you'd even be tempted to think otherwise. We'll just chalk it up to the troubles of old age and leave it at that.
Different questions that I ask myself:
"Do I like who I am?"
"Do I like who I am becoming?"
"Given all the elements of my life, what is the trajectory of my soul?"
Those last two are really two ways of asking the same question.
word verification: "hqkxcx" - the recent sound of my coughs during a heavy bout of the crud.
Gonna agree with Macon on the friends question. Obviously, AK, taking potential stabs at your friends on your blog is not the best way to get positive feedback ;-)
I'm a tad behind both you guys in accumulated wisdom, but two questions I ask myself...
*What does my stewardship of time, money, etc reflect about my heart? Is it in line with what I claim is important to me? Does it reveal certain things have more importance than I thought or desire?
*Have I loved people better this year?
This whole idea of question-asking has been running around in my brain a lot over the last few years. I've been reminded so much that my students will learn more from and about me from the questions I ask than from the things I say. Sobering, really. Thanks for the reminder once again.
In health news (Macon started it), I am happy to announce that my tonsils are almost their normal size again, a good sign that I am nearly over mono...but not before passing it along to both my roommates :)
thanks to both of you slightly unhealthy people (but getting better) for your thoughts and questions. I like the mix of 'being and becoming' questions that Macon asks as well as the 'my actions show me something about my heart' type questions that Katie's asking.
but really, katie, you wouldn't be so infectious to your roommates if you'd stop kissing on them.
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