“Count not the candles…see the lights they give. Count not the years, but the life you live.”

I had a birthday this week.

Birthdays are a two edged sword. On one side, they are wonderful because the attention they give us. There might be presents, birthday cards, and a special meal with a favorite dessert. The other side a reminder that we are getting older and we only have a certain amount of time to live.

When you are young, you can’t wait to get older. When you are older, you realize you aren’t getting any younger.

Alice Fryling, author of Aging Faithfully: The Holy Invitation of Growing Older said, “Whatever our decade of life, we are never not aging.”

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12 NIV).

So with my remaining days, I hope I can focus more on how I live today, rather than the years I have on earth. I want to have a heart of wisdom. Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).

What about you? Like me, do you sometimes fuss about new wrinkles or less mobility? You realize some things just won’t get done with the years remaining?

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me (Psalm 71:18 NLT).

So what will I proclaim to the next generation? That God is good. He loves me. That he wants a relationship with me. He wants me to accept his gift of salvation. That he is always with me–now and in the days to come.

For now, I will enjoy the light my birthday candles give me, and count not the years, but the life I live.

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