https://thepreachersword.com/2013/05/15/reflections-on-our-son-turning-40/#more-4010
Reflections On Our Son Turning 40
When I turned 40, I recall my Mom saying, “I can’t believe I have a 40-year-old son!” Well, it didn’t bother me. Really! I was still running. Playing ball. Raising a young family. Feeling good.
Now the tables are turned. I’ve got a son who turned 40 yesterday. And I can’t believe it! Why are we always surprised at these milestones? Don’t we see them coming? Or are we so busy they just sneak up on us?
But we are enjoying it. It’s an opportunity to reminisce about the past. Remember the good times. And reflect on special milestones. Important people in our lives. And memories that live on!
This hasn’t been the traditional 40th birthday. No black decorations. Or “over the hill” wrapping paper. Or gallows humor. But there’s been humor! Lots of it! And surprises.
Norma Jean had planned to fly to Florida last Friday to surprise Kenny for his 40th birthday and be there with him and Rachél for Mother’s day. But the surprise was on her when they all showed up on Thursday! It was fun. We love to surprise. And be surprised. I think families today are too uptight. Folks need to relax. Enjoy each other. Be a little unconventional. And embrace this wonderful relationship God ordained called family.
But back to the 40! You hear that 40 is just a number. As I think about it, I agree with Boston Globe journalist Beverly Beckham that it is more than a number….and “an inaccurate one.” Beckham wrote, “Forty is inaccurate because it doesn’t stand alone. Forty is 39 and 28 and 24 and 16 and 10 and 4 and 6 months, every age a person was – not simply the sum of its parts but every one of its parts.”
Forty, in Kenny’s case, is a month late arriving infant. The first grandchild. The exploring toddler. The rambunctious child. The young entrepreneur. The ball playing kid. The irrepressible teenager. The graduate. The Florida College student. Once. Twice. Three times!
Forty is living with Mamaw. Temporary obsessions! Traveling with Bodhi. Marrying his best friend, April. Legends. Florida College cross-country. And staying faithful to God.
Forty is love. Laugher. Tears. Disappointing setbacks. Joyous triumphs. Moving. Changing. Growing. Adapting. Becoming. And dreaming.
When we look at people we see externally. With human eyes. And observe the here and now. The moment. We look at a face and try to guess an age.
We are the sum total of our experiences. Relationships. Successes. And failures. Life is not a destination. It’s a journey. A process. A life-long learning experience. And the Bible teaches a brief one compared to time. And eternity.
Charles T. Jones once said, “You will be the same in five years except for two things: The people you meet and the books you read.” I have to think Kenny and the rest of us are where we are now because of those factors. And where we will be in five years, Lord willing, will also be influenced by people who love us. Help us. Share with us. Influence us. And while there are great books to learn from, none is better than the Bible.
The wise counsel of the Word says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov 4:23).
Well, thanks for reading today. And allowing me some personal ruminations. But remember this. When your birthday comes don’t agonize over it. Or stress over it. Or worry about the number of candles on your cake. Accept it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. And apply the counsel of Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman