Not About Me

“Not About Me”
by Hannah Jardinico 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”  -Philippians 2:3

I turn 20 today. I really really thank God for giving me 20 years of my life. Every year, up until now, I would be looking forward to my birthday. I count down the days from Christmas, and somehow it just seemed so long from that point on. I wanted presents, parties, everything to be about me, because it was “my day.” That’s what I thought birthdays were about. I thought they were supposed to be about you, and because, you know, you were born on that day.

But is that really an excuse? What made you so great that you have to be given all these things?  Don’t get me wrong, praise the Lord for continually giving me life, but that’s my point. I can’t even go on writing this without having to say, “praise the Lord,” “thank you God.”  At first, I didn’t want it to be my birthday. Even though I also may be humble about it, I also shouldn’t be bitter. Whether it comes down to you being too humble, or not humble at all, you’re still being selfish.

I also like to view my 20 years as something so rewarding, not because of me, but because of the people God put in my life to make me who I am today. My perspective on my birthday is completely different from when I was 16. I don’t like to think that this day is about me, but how God allowed me to continue my life, and how much I appreciate the people He put in my life.   I would like to think that even though I was born on this day, that it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s about me, because really, it’s not. I am a living testimony that God has used, wether it be good or bad, in every aspect of my life. I thank the people that caused me to stumble and hurt me, otherwise I would’ve never had the courage to fight and stand up. I thank my loving parents who never gave up on me and continually prayed for my relationship with Christ. I thank my youth leaders and the church for the guidance of my Salvation. I thank my youth group and my kids in the church for encouraging me to be a better person. And I thank my loving boyfriend who first said to me that he doesn’t want me to fall in love with him, but Christ first. Most importantly, I owe my life to God. As much as I’ve failed him, as much as I continually fail Him, He overwhelms me with his mercy and grace. My birthday is no longer about me, but more of how God has been working through me.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 10:11 pm and is filed under Devotions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.