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Giving Myself the Best Birthday Present Ever!

OK, I'll admit it. I am not all that happy about turning another year older tomorrow. The good news is, I still have an entire year before the big 4-0. The bad news is (and I do this every year) I feel like in many ways I haven't made much progress in my life this last year. Do you do that? Both at my birthday and on January 1st, I always get really sappy and start thinking about the year that has passed. Whether it's another year of my life, or another year on the calendar...I'm prone to let the aging effect get me down really easily. I guess even when my kids get older, it's kind of a bittersweet time. I hate how fast they're growing up! Aging and changing...that's just part of the cycle of life. Doesn't mean I have to like it though.

I took the kids to see Shrek 3 yesterday morning. The overall moral of the story is to appreciate where you're at and what you have. What a great reminder for me this week! Be thankful for today. Count all my blessings. What's that saying? "Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today's the day." (or some variation thereof)

Why is it so easy for me to beat myself up over the failures and disappointments of the past? I mean, even if it just happened last night or last hour...it's the past! If God can forgive and not hold these things over my head, what gives me the right to do that to myself?! So silly. Oh how the enemy has me in bondage in this area. He can mess with my mind and help me condemn myself  like it's his full-time job. Oh yeah...I guess it kind of is.

I'm reminded right now of when I did the study by Caroline Leaf called Who Switched Off My Brain?. She talked about how when these negative thoughts come into our minds, we have a choice. We can choose to accept them as true and let them grow roots in our mind, or we can call them out for the lies of the enemy that they are and banish them from our thought life. We have a choice! It's not that the condemning thoughts won't ever come into my mind. But I have a choice of whether to let them set up house there. Isn't that refreshing?! I have to remind myself of this on a regular basis, because I struggle with this so much.

So here's my birthday present to myself this year: a fresh start.

Grace. Forgiveness. Freedom. Peace. That's what a fresh start for this 39th year of my life means to me. Learning to live in the fullness of God's abundance! Accepting everything He offers. Not losing out on the benefit of breaking free from these chains. Oh how I can feel the peace and excitement growing in me already! Will you do me a favor though? When you think of me and this specific area...will you say a brief prayer? I know that this gift is going to take a lot of work and a lot of prayer and a lot of daily reminders to myself. If you're a prayer warrior, I covet your prayers for me on this. Thank you in advance for going to the Father on my behalf.

I am just so happy that my birthday falls on a Saturday this year. And the weather looks to be a pretty nice fall day. Maybe I'll see you at Robinette's or Art Prize or somewhere else around town. But in the morning you'll find me in my PJ's enjoying a nice lazy morning with my 4 favorite people. Oh it sounds heavenly! I am so blessed. And, may I say, I'm SO excited for what this next year of my life has in store. May it be more full of laughter and blessings, than tears and sorrow. I pray that is true for each of you as well.

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