I press on toward the goal

Today I turn 23.

Looking back at the 23 years God has given me so far, I feel saddened that I took so much time to understand and grab hold of my calling. Countless times, He has told me to rise up, step up, to embark on the journey of greatness He has laid out ahead of me. I always had an excuse. Fear, many forms of it. It grieves me to think about where I could be now, what I could have done for Him, if I had responded earlier. However, this is no time for regrets. Reflection is good and it's natural to feel sad about what could have been, but God calls us to looks forward.

He is not limited by time or by our age. 23 seems old to me, especially considering the fact that many leaders in youth ministries start at tender ages of 18, 19, 20.. Comparison will get us nowhere though. He has a perfect plan for every single one of us. No matter how long we take, no matter how many times we fall, He can still put us back on the right track. In fact, all the times we fell and all the painful lessons we had to learn only serve to get us ready for the great things He calls us to! God takes us one step at a time. We may not realize it but He's been preparing us for many many years...

So I'm 23 and I feel like I'm light years away from fulfilling God's call on my life, but I will not be discouraged. The next 23 years of my life will be phenomenal! In fact, I believe that I will see greater things in the next 5 years, 10 years, than I've seen in my entire life so far. Once we respond to God in faith, He can restore to us all the years that we seem to have lost. We need to see things in the supernatural and discard all the discouraging forecasts our eyes give in the natural!

'Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus...'
(Philippians 3:13-14, NIV)