No Ordinary Birthday

Today is my birthday. Though I don't consider myself to be very old, birthdays have started to feel more and more like any other day in the year. Wait! I know what you are thinking but don't get me wrong! My family always remembers to call and send gifts. There's usually a nice supper and great cake. I am absolutely appreciative of it all! I remember a time, though, when I would start counting down to my birthday a month or two before my own celebrated date. I would think about whether I'd be having a party, what kinds of gifts I'd get, etc... But life just seems to have become so busy that often my birthday is upon me before I even realize it. People start asking me what I want for my birthday and I have no idea what to tell them because I haven't even thought about it. This one almost caught me by surprise again but just recently I realized that the impact of this birthday will be quite different for me than those that have gone before.

Recently, my family received a little scripture reading guide from some of the leaders at church. The assigned scripture passages are all about Christ from birth to death. The guide itself is set up like an advent calendar where you have to read the passage for that day and then mark it with a star sticker once its been read. So we've been reading about Christ for several nights. Tonight, after our reading, I realized that this was not going to be an ordinary birthday for me.

Today, I turn 33. This is the same age that our Savior was when He prayed and suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and was crucified on the cross. My mind struggles with the idea that I am the same age that He was when He was at the pinnacle of His time here on earth. He was so very wise, all-knowing, mature, dedicated, compassionate, loving, forgiving, just, and the list goes on. I try to think about whether I know of any others my age that might have these characteristics. Without meaning to disrespect anyone, I don't couldn't think of anyone that I know that looks like they are 33 but speaks and acts with the wisdom and experience of someone age 99. What an amazing man!

The one thought that keeps going through my head is "He was the same age as me. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and the on the cross." I couldn't have done that. His only "reward" for His sacrifice was the remote possibility that we might want to change for the better by repenting and thus coming closer to Him and then finally returning to Him.

I stand all amazed....