Today is my birthday and I am one grateful girl. 4th floor has been good this far and I truly look forward to the years ahead! Life seems to slow down, and I no longer panic over stuff like my younger self. I have developed a strong aversion to unnecessary conflict; choosing my battles very carefully. I win better when I do not fight lol! I run from any form of negative energy. Small talk and cheap gossip no longer entertain. I am not afraid of the unknown and I am more confident about taking calculated risks. Truly life does begin at forty! In all these, one thing stands out. I seem to be in better control of my life. This is both a good and bad thing. It allows me to determine the direction I wish my life to take but sometimes it can get in the way of heeding god’s call to my life.
This morning as I made my way to Church, I listened to a sermon by Bishop TD Jakes. He has a way of teaching that leaves my mind actively meditating on the Word of God. It was a story of Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem. We all know the story: he rode on a donkey and people celebrated him as they honored him as a king. There are other aspects to this story that we never stop to think through.
The donkey that Jesus rode was tied. He sent his disciples to fetch it and they found it just as he had told them. How many times in life are we sent by God and we hesitate because we do not have all the details? Because the assignment seems not to make human sense and the facts do not add up? How many things does God ask of us, but we delay taking them up because we are not sure how it will end? It helped me to realize that as I grew older, I needed to attune to God’s voice and instruction over my life more and more. To heed His call and instruction to go to places I have never been, do things I have never done not because I know the outcome but because I have complete trust in Him who does. I need to let go of my desire to control and allow God to lead the way. I need to trust and obey.
The disciples brought the donkey to Jesus and He sat on it. They sang and celebrated Him, laying their clothes and palm branches on the way in honor of this King. But the so-called King rode a donkey, not a horse. Humility class 101! As we grow older, we assume greater responsibility. We rise in rank and may even become famous. It is time we also learn to stay humble in all the glory that comes our way. How many of us can let a moment pass where people do not acknowledge us by our lofty titles? Or do we have to remind them? Agreed, we work hard to get there, we deserve every title we earn. But it also pays to be realistic and know that beyond those titles and positions we are first and foremost human beings. Children of God. Dust! So, as we grow and become famous/rise in ranks, let us not attach too much meaning to the titles. Occasionally, let it pass if people miss the title or get it wrong. It doesn’t change who we are in the least.
As the people celebrated Jesus, I imagine he was smiling back at them, occasionally waving, and nodding His head like a true dignitary. But let us pause and remember why Jesus was going to Jerusalem. It was almost time for him to be crucified. He who knew where the donkey was must have surely known the pain that awaited Him. Yet he remained calm in the midst of the inner turmoil he was going through. How often do we manage to control our emotions so that we do not bleed on to those around us? How good are we at remaining calm under pressure? As I grow older, I desire to master this art. To know how to remain calm when the situation calls for it. Of course, expressing our inner pain is also important: and we see Jesus doing it when he gets to the garden of Gethsemane where he sweats drops of blood. But He was calm during the triumphal entry and all through the last supper. We need to let our souls be still when the situation calls for it.
Throughout today I have prayed that I may learn from the Savior how to age gracefully. How to truly grow in my inner self as I advance in years. How to live out my life purpose with trust, humility, composure, and courage. Here’s to another beautiful year! Here’s to aging gracefully!
