Hello 40

PHOTO CREDIT: Izabelle Galvin at Loryn Eaton Photography

Today I turned 40.

It feels weird. I’m weird so I guess it fits, ha! In the midst of my ‘weirdness,’ I looked up the significance of the number 40. Biblically, this number signifies a period of testing.

• Jesus was tempted for forty days and forty nights.

• Israel wandered the wilderness for forty years.

• Moses waited on the mountain for forty days and nights to receive the 10 Commandments.

• Noah’s ark floated for forty days.

This stopped me in my tracks. I can relate, in my own way, to the waiting, the testing, the wandering, and the floating just above the surface of the unknown. Throughout the past few years of my medical journey, I’ve longed for solid answers, for resolution, for an “ah-ha” moment. I’ve prayed and begged for God to shine some light on my situation and give me clarity. For whatever reason, he’s chosen not to.

Is it a coincidence that my age represents a testing period in my life? I don’t think so. I think The Lord has meticulously planned every step of this path. I know he is faithful. He loved his Son, Jesus, through his torturous tempting, he sustained the people of Israel until he delivered them to the Promised Land, he provided Moses with the wisdom he was seeking, and he brought Noah and his family safely to shore. God was in the midst of their testing.

This stage of my life is hard and I have no idea how long it will last. What I do know, however, is that my God is by my side working all things together for good. I can rest in his mercy and grace.

Hello 40, let’s do this!