Blessed to be Broken

A loud noise interrupts my peaceful morning. Excuse me! Don’t you know it’s my birthday? I’m guessing not. The sound is coming from a wood chipper and chain saws. Several men dressed in brightly colored vests are diligently working on the removal of two very large trees from my neighbor’s yard. The larger the tree limb, the louder the wood chipper noise.

I decided to watch these tree whackers do their job. They took great care as they worked their way up the tree felling those large limbs, while giving them plenty of room to make their way to the ground. Then the ground crew got to work, and into the wood chipper they’d go. From tree limb to sawdust.

I don’t know if trees feel pain. I’m guessing if they did, that was a lot to bear all at once. I thought to myself, I’m so thankful when God prunes away the things that need to go in my life, He doesn’t do it all at once. Like those lumberjacks, God also takes great care when He leads me through the pruning process.

As I stated earlier, today’s my birthday. Not just any birthday. The beginning of a new decade birthday. Age is just a number, right? I sure don’t feel 60 years old. I have peace with this number. I know, 60 is an age not granted to all. But here I am. God blessed me with another day and has walked me through a lot of pruning. A LOT of pruning. And, there’s still more to come.

Best part about my birthday? It’s also the first official day of Spring. I can almost hear the tulips and daffodils tapping on the ground to make way for their glorious entrance. That’s right, I said glorious.

The older I get, the more appreciation I have for this thing called life. There’s a lot less I find important. The simple things in life really are the best. I no longer put so much pressure on myself to perform. I figure, if you want to be in my life, you’ll be there. Begging someone to be part of my life, is no longer part of who I am.

Other people are not in charge of my life. Giving someone that kind of control robs me of who God calls me to be. I found people pleasing to be exhausting and a thief of precious time.

Worrying about what others think, gives them way too much power. The sad part is, you only find out just what a waste of time it was/is, when you realize those people weren’t even giving you a second thought. They were literally living their life while you wasted yours away, worrying about what to do based on a perceived outcome. Y’all this took me sooo long to learn.

Learning is a gift. Don’t ever stop learning. Don’t ever think you know it all, because you don’t. What a beautiful gift God has given us…to share, learn, love, and grow with one another. He graciously gives us what we need for each season and He lovingly prunes always what needs to be thrown into that wood chipper. Hanging onto things longer than necessary, leaves little room for things to come.

I have no idea what’s in store for me in this new decade, but I trust the One who created me to do what He planned for me long ago. So, I’m going into it with my hands, heart, eyes, and ears wide open for what God wants to do. He’s the only one who knows me through and through and remembers all I’ve forgotten. He knows all the things I have no clue about and yet, He’s ready to show me things when it’s the correct time.

So, on this first day of Spring and my birthday, let me remind you, God’s not even close to being done with what He’s started in you. He’s not mad at you. He’s not cursing you out. He’s not forgotten you. He absolutely loves you with an everlasting love. He sings over you and He has things meant just for you. Get ready my friend, because God’s always up to something new! And He always finishes what He starts. Much love to you!