Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Gift that Keeps on.......Pt. I


You know the rest! Well fam, today is my birthday. It's blurry though, because I have to work and carry on as if it's any other old day. :) And really, it is just any other old day. The fact that I was born on this day in 1975 is not lost on me, it's just lost some of its luster in light of other events since. The one event that holds the most weight, of course, is my rebirth. The day my Lord graciously took my sin away and granted me repentance and faith. That trumps ALL, plain and simple. Eternal life and peace with my Creator just can't be touched. There is one blessing the Lord granted me outside my Salvation that is a close second though. Any guesses?
Oh, come on, you can play the game with me at least for a moment.
Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.
That's right!!! One of the few of you got it right, I'm sure. It's my wife, and my birthday today is a happy one in large part because of her being in my life. I thank God that He showed me favor by giving me a friend, helper, wonderful mother to my children, encourager, and accountability partner (even if unaware at times) in my wife. God has used and is using His daughter to work Christ-likeness out in me, and to comfort and/or exhort me when that Christ-like image is being tainted by my me-ness. My wife is one of the greatest manifestations of God's grace in my life I can think of. There's literally PAGES I could write to describe how she walks out the Biblical model of a Godly woman. Maybe another time, I will do just that. Today my purpose is to give honor and Glory to the Lord on my Birthday by saying: "Father, when you blessed me with my wife, you gave me a gift that would give for the duration of my time on this Earth. I praise you and thank you for allowing me to see another Birthday. I thank you for that not so I can celebrate me, but so that I would have another day to enjoy the richness of your favor towards me through my wife. It was through her that I learned of my true need for a Savior 5 years ago. Now 5 years later I'm being sanctified as a Child of God in part through her. You are awesome Lord, and I give you the glory for all that I have and am. Help me by your Spirit to love her as Christ loves the Church. That is my desire; that this, my 34th year of life would be marked by a sacrificial love for the wife of my youth. In Christ's name, Amen"
I love you Misha Brown!!

3 comments:

Joanie Jenkins said...

Kudos to you for giving glory to God AND lifting your woman up! It's awesome! Happy Birthday DeJuan, may the bless you and your family!

Phil's Grill said...

What a wonderful tribute to God and to your wife. Happy Birthday and thank you for such an uplifting post!
Phil's Grill

misha said...

Humbled... you are such a blessing to me babe. Such a good picture of your character, you honoring me on YOUR birthday. Surely you are a good man, to be favored by the Lord (Proverbs 12:2).