This past weekend I celebrated my 38th birthday. Thank you to everyone who sent me well-wishes and other expressions of love. It was very heartwarming. I said last Sunday that turning 38 is hardly a milestone year, the way turning 30 or 40 is, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t mean anything.
There once was a man unable to walk. For 38 years he desired to be healed but there was no medicine or therapy that could give him the strength of his legs. Then he met Jesus, who gave him no pill, no shot, no earthly solution to his physical problem. Instead, the Lord gave the man a command:
Jesus saith unto him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”
(John 5:8)
And so the man did and his whole life changed in that moment. Five minutes before meeting the Master, this person no doubt believed he would be handicapped forever, unable to do all the things that others can do with ease. Now? After meeting the Master, he gets to start over. Life begins again. Despite the common thinking, I imagine he looked at that day as a “milestone.” For thirty-eight years he could do practically nothing. Now? He can do anything the Lord needs of him.
It’s never too late to start over with God.
~ Matthew