One night last week, as I was getting ready for bed, I took off my makeup, washed my face, and just stood there, reflecting on the image I saw, reflecting on life. 

I’ll be honest – I didn’t like everything I saw.  My eyelids were puffy from crying, my pores were huge, and the dark circles under my eyes seem to be getting darker daily.  I looked…. exhausted. 

As I stared at myself, it struck me that, though my face may show signs of wear and tear, it also shows signs of a life lived. 

My laugh lines that grow more visible each year mean I’m growing older, but they also mean my life has been full of laughter.  You can read the fatigue on my face, but I’m grateful that I have a family of my own to expend my energy on.  My eyelids are swollen from crying, but I have a God who sees my tears, who sees into my heart, and heals me.  (Psalm 56:8 MSG – “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.”) 

As I grow older, He remains the same.  He is with me, year after year, developing me into the woman He made me to be.  God’s Word says our faces “show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.”  (2 Corinthians 3:18 CEV)

As the years roll on and the wrinkles set in, I hope to live my life in such a way that His glory is what’s written all over my face. 

These are the thoughts in my mind as I process my birthday today.  If I live until I’m 90, then I’m exactly halfway through life.  I’m middle-aged.

And I’m in the middle of God’s will for me.  I’m in the middle of His love, surrounded by His faithfulness.  My life doesn’t look like I thought it would at this age, but it’s a life I rejoice to live every day.            

I trust Him with all the paths my life could have taken and with all that’s to come.  And with today.  He redeems my past and secures my future.  He is with me, making life worth living, year after year. And that is why I celebrate today, wrinkles and all.