Not long ago, I was honored when a friend asked me to be part of a special gift for her daughter’s 13th birthday. She was compiling a keepsake book and had asked some friends to share some encouraging words. What a blessing for her to have. What a blessing for me to write.
To Macy (on this milestone birthday):
At 40-something, single/never married and the most content and happy to serve Jesus that I have ever been in my life, this is what I WISH someone would have told me at 13…
The Creator of the Universe made YOU in His Image because He saw that it was good to do so. He made YOU with incredible forethought and special design to do things on this earth and have experiences and be in relationships that only YOU can do and be in.
That is amazing, BUT (how can there possibly be a “but” to that amazingness, you ask?), if you do nothing else in this great big world other than simply exist as the little mini reflection of Himself that He created you to be – showing the world who HE is by being salt and light and letting HIM work Through YOU, that is more than enough.
He may have much more for you to do – you may obtain college degrees and have a great career doing world-changing, Kingdom-shaking things, you may meet a man and get married and raise children that will grow to make you proud as they reflect the character of God, you may go into ministry and bring thousands the merciful and redemptive message of Jesus.
As wonderful as those things are, at the end of our days, the most important thing will be that we were good image-bearers of our Father…and that we served Him well – in whatever He put in front of us to do at each and every stage of our lives. My prayer for you is that you embrace that fully – at 13…at 30…and at 103!
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.
Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matt 25:23
