Today is my birthday. I’m now 37 years old. Do I feel older? Yes. Yes, I do. I may still be young according to the external clock, but internally I feel the effects of a lot of life lived in 37 years.

Marriage will age you; and I’ve been married now for nearly 14 years. Parenting will age you; and I’ve been parenting now for 11 years and have a total of 6 children. Pastoring will age you; and I’ve been pastoring the same church now for 10 years. Additionally, military deployments, the whole college experience, and adopting 2 children will age you. All of these things are wonderful things (adrenaline inducing things), but they take a toll. In maturing you, they also age you. In strengthening you, they also scar you. For those of you who have been through some (or all) of these things, you know what I mean.

I’ve stuffed a lot of living into my 37 years of life. And I have to say, I’m grateful. I’m grateful for the life I’ve been able to live, the people that I’ve been able to love, and the organizations that I’ve been able to lead. It’s been a good life, not a perfect life, but a good life.

I realize that this birthday note has a somber tone to it. Am I depressed? No, just thoughtful – pensive. They say that the average life expectancy of a U.S. male is 73.5 years old. If that statistic holds true for me then that means I have more life in the rearview mirror than in the windshield in front of me. If I live to 73.5 years old then that means, at age 37 today, I only have 36.5 years of life left to live. It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? But it’s also a biblical thought…

Moses once wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~Psalm 90:12

James once asked, “What is your life? [And then he gives an answer…] You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” ~James 4:14

So, as I consider the life that is behind me and the life that is now in front of me, I want to know God’s wisdom. That is to say, I’m asking many questions: How does God want me to spend my time? My money? My energy? How does God want me to spend the rest of my life? For indeed, even if I reach 100 years of age, my life is simply “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

God, help me to steward my life well. Help me to live it for the good of others and your great glory. God, make the remaining years of my life count for eternity!