Last week, I celebrated my birthday. I enjoyed an intimate celebration with my husband, son, and bonus daughter. With social distancing, birthday celebrations have looked a lot different for our family this year. Our birthdays are consecutive from July to October, and this year we celebrated each of our birthdays with just the four of us, and we had a lot of fun. Of course, I miss celebrating with friends and family or going out or doing some other fun event or activity to celebrate a birthday, yet we decided to make the best of our current reality and celebrate in the ways that we can.

This year has really taught me about what’s really important and what I’ve taken for granted. It is sobering. On my birthday, I woke up, spent some time praying and praising, and thanking God for His goodness. The past few months have been difficult for many of us. Some of us (myself included) have experienced the loss of a loved one or loss in some other form. In challenging moments, I find myself thinking or whispering, "yet still." Yet still, God is still God. I find myself being thankful for the simple things that are so easy to overlook. On my birthday, my husband and bonus daughter decorated our dining room. I came downstairs to a beautiful balloon garland, happy birthday signs, and a table set for a queen. I beamed. Birthdays are a big deal in our house, we've made a family tradition to celebrate birthdays and make them special. Yet seeing the love and the effort my family put in to celebrate me filled me with joy. These are the things that truly matter.  

Every birthday I think about a verse that I want to concentrate on for the coming year. This year it's Isaiah 61:3, "..he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory."  Given the cultural background and the context of this verse, I know that "beauty for ashes" as a promise to God's people to deliver them from their plight. For me, it's a reminder that He is a healer and a restorer and that there is plenty of beauty ahead.   

Cheers,
~Nika