A Crown of Beauty

Sixty-two years ago, God brought me forth into this world.

Truly a day to remember, and a life to celebrate. The year was 1953.

Twenty years later, in 1973, as a young university student, I encountered my Maker on my Damascus Road gently inviting me to turn the throne of my heart over to Him. 

I was the One who created you. I have beautiful dreams for you. Let me show you who you really are, the way I intended you to be.

How could I resist such a beautiful offer?

He is the great I Am

the Lord God, the Creator of all the earth... 

and the One who carried the idea of me in His heart 

for millennium after millennium...

And when the fullness of time had come,
ordained the day of my birth...

rejoicing with all of heaven

placing me in the hands of a man and a woman

who did their best to nurture and nourish 

this fragile tender life...

A man and a woman, my parents, who believed in me

and in the best I could become...

they were the instruments He used to ensure

this precious cargo would make safe passage

over dangerous seas...

But He is my great I Am
the One Who stood watching over my every step

every step of the way...
saying "This is the way, walk in it."

the One Who planted dreams inside my heart

and equipped me to carry them out...

He is my great I Am
the One Who holds the master plan for my life
plans for peace and not for evil,
to give me a future worth looking forward to
a future filled with hope...
the One Who promises abundant life...

How could I say "No" to that invitation?

The Psalmist couldn't have said it better:

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb,

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You.

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

- Psalm 139:13-16

The One who fashioned me, and put me together - body, soul, and spirit - and the One who wrote out the story of my life when I was not yet born... surely He is the One who knows all about me.

How could I resist such a wonderful offer... to give the reins of my life back to Him, to choose the life He offers, that I may experience what it means to truly live?

I did, twenty years ago. That was the day I was born, spiritually.

And to make a long story short... it is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Today I celebrate both the day I was born physically... and the day I was re-born in my spirit.

To be born twice, as they say, means you only die once.  For me, that is the best and wisest transaction anyone can ever make. For who can determine my eternal destiny except the One who created me?

I take to heart the new name my Abba Father gave me in 1992... as part of His promise to reveal to me who I really am,  the way He intended me to be!

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord.

A royal diadem in the hand of your God.

-Isaiah 62:3

Truly His promises are true.

I woke up a few minutes ago with a song playing in my heart.

It is an amazing feeling... to wake up with a song in my heart.

It is without doubt the birthday song that Father God is singing over me!

There are many more things I would want to say on this my birthday blog post... but sometimes understatement has a deeper impact than overstatement.

There are times when less is more.

Today is one of those times for me.

Each birthday is an opportunity for me to celebrate my heavenly Father... Abba Avinu... and thank Him for creating me... redeeming me... and re-creating me.

It is never about me. Always, always... the glory goes back to the One who holds my heart in His hands. To Him alone am I eternally grateful for my life.

Below is the song Abba Father was singing over me when I woke up.