"Looking Around" | This is Our Time

Birthdays. Why That Specific Day?

Today is my birthday.
It’s funny because I’ve never really given my birthday much thought. Being on Cinco de Mayo has always added some extra fun over the years, but ironically, I never go out for Mexican food on my birthday—the places are always packed!

As of today, I’m 41.
Just typing that feels strange. I can still remember turning 10 like it was yesterday. Then 16. 18. 21. 30.
How the heck did 41 come around so quickly?

Birthdays are mile markers in our lives. They give us reason to reflect. On where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed.

I can remember being a kid. Everything was about looking forward.
Do you remember that? Looking forward to your birthday?
I can remember why I did. It was simple stuff. I loved the chocolate Entenmann’s donuts.
You know, the cheap ones on the end caps at the grocery store. I'd always ask my mom to get them for my birthday breakfast. She always did.

My dad would wake up early and sing this ridiculous song to us on our birthdays when we were kids. Eventually, everyone would join in. We opened presents in the morning, because with six kids in the house, the evenings were pure chaos. Sports, homework, and noise until we crashed into bed.

25 years ago today, my Grandpa drove down the street in his old truck to give it to me for my 16th birthday. An '84 Ford that I still have to this day. That truck and I are the same age. He died later that year, but every time I slide into that driver’s seat, the smell brings me back to rides with Grandpa when I was just 3 or 4 years old. That’s a birthday I’ll never forget.

As we grow older, birthdays shift.
They stop being about looking forward and start being about looking around—and eventually, looking back.

At 41, I find myself "looking around" a lot.

I’ve done quite a bit, but I’m not done.
I know more than I used to, but not nearly enough.
My desires have changed, but I still hold on to what was.
And when I look to the future…I’m more unsure than I’ve ever been.

It’s strange being in this in-between.
I still feel young in a lot of ways.
I know I don’t want to get old.
But somehow, this moment—this exact time and place—feels like it was made specifically for me.

And I didn’t realize that until I started walking more closely with Jesus in the day-to-day.
He doesn’t make mistakes.
Not with words. Not with lessons. Not with purpose.
And especially not with timing.

The God of the universe had a birthday, just like me.
His was intentional. Specific.
Mine may not be as consequential to the degree of eternity, but still—He stepped into time at a certain moment, just like I did.
He had a real purpose, just like I do. Just like you do.

And the best part?
Now that I’ve aligned my purpose with His, we’re just getting started.

There’s a Bible story that always moves me. The story of Esther.
A Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia at a time when her people are in grave danger.
In Esther 4, her cousin Mordecai challenges her to act, saying:

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
— Esther 4:14 (ESV)

That phrase echoes deeply: For such a time as this.

Maybe your gifts, your position, your experiences...maybe they were designed for this exact moment.
You were born for a reason. So was I.

We’re here for a purpose in the places we inhabit.
Our skills brought us to the industries, companies, and people we interact with.
Jesus knows exactly how He intends to move in our lives…if we’ll only let Him.

Birthdays have a funny way of surfacing thoughts like these.
I’m glad they do.

So, here’s to 42.
I don’t know exactly where it will go, but I do know who it will glorify.
And if I’m blessed with the full 365, I know whose purpose I’ll be serving.

I hope that at your next cosmic milestone, you’ll pause and reflect—and move forward—with Jesus by your side.

-Mark