Somehow decade birthdays seem like a bigger deal. At 10 I thought of myself no longer as a child but an adolescence. I was putting away my dolls and starting to imitate grown-up ways. At 20 I got married, at 30 I gave birth to and buried our fourth and last child, at 40 I cried, at 50 I was enjoying grandma status and now I have slid into another decade, the big 6-0. What is this??? I hear words like “senior citizen” discounts, social security and retirement and it sounds like a wonderful place to be!!! Six short decades, packed full of life, adventure, joy, sorrow, sickness, health, education, careers and changes-lots of changes. It makes me pause. Wow! Where has life gone? I am stunned at the changes in life during each 10 year segment and somehow entering each new decade IS s a big deal.
The Psalmist said, “The length of our days is seventy years–or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalms 90:10). The Psalmist was reflecting on human life and the average days that make up our allotted length of life. Life is hard and full of trouble and sorrow. But life is also full of joy, friendships, beauty and family. Our faith journey deepens our perspective of life giving us meaning, purpose, wisdom and service.
The Psalmist goes on to say, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalms 90:12). We are to take stock of our days and learn from our experiences. The challenge to each of us is to live life with purpose. Life is short and soon we will leave this earth and come face to face with eternity. Where we spend eternity is our choice, based on decisions we make during our allotted number of days. Have I developed a heart of wisdom that comes from a relationship with God? Do I have a faith in God that sustains in the difficult trials of life? I do not have any guarantee of another day or another decade. I only have one life to live and then I will fly away. Lord, give me a heart of wisdom that I will follow you faithfully all the days of my life.
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