“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Another birthday crept up on me and flew past this last week. The older I get, the faster they come around. This one isn’t a milestone, but for some reason, it feels like a big one. Maybe because I’m on the precipice of a milestone birthday (the big 5-0 next year), and many of my friends and former classmates have already surpassed it.

For me, birthdays are a time of reflection. What have I learned in the last year? The last five years? The last ten years? Ten years ago, I was about to embark on a major life upheaval. Within a few months of my birthday, I had quit my job, started editing full time, and moved to the big city. I had a handful of friends and acquaintances but only a couple of close friends. Now, I still live in the big city, but I work a full-time office job and edit part-time. I have several close friends—more than this shy introvert ever thought possible, really.

My life certainly doesn’t look the way I thought it would twenty or thirty years ago. I spent much of my early to mid-forties coming to terms with things that will never happen, sometimes with a sense of regret. But I’m happy to say this is the first birthday in a while that I haven’t felt any sadness when looking back on my life. Reflection is good and can provide an avenue to examine the past and adjust for the future. But there’s no point in staying stuck in the past, dwelling on what might have been or what never can be. I can’t change it now, and if I could, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

I don’t feel as old as the number of candles on my birthday cake says I am—most days at least. As I get older, I find I have more stamina than I did in my twenties and thirties because the chronic migraines I suffered from then are gone now. I’d like to think that I’m wiser too. At the very least, I’ve had more experiences and know myself better. Another bonus: my faith is stronger. There have been more opportunities for my faith to be challenged, more chances for God to prove that he is faithful, more ways for God to show up when I least expected him.

This year, I’m viewing my birthday as an opportunity to step into a new year where new opportunities abound. What those are yet, and what I’ll do with them, remains to be seen. But I know that God is in control, and he already knows what’s in store.

Dear Lord, thank you for another birthday and another year to praise you and grow in my relationship with you. Please guide me into the future while helping me stay grounded in the present. Amen.