Last Tuesday, January 18, was my best friend’s birthday. Leah turned 22 and I wanted that day to be all about her.
Monday night, I left Wayne, NE, and headed back to Omaha with a friend. We stopped because I wanted to get some streamers and decorations to hang up in our apartment to surprise Leah for her birthday. We walked into Wal-Mart at 11:30pm and finally left an hour later, with birthday decorations: streamers, balloons, a Happy Birthday sign, and a pinata.
Finally, we made it back to my apartment. It was already 1:30am and I had planned to get up with Leah at 7:30am to make breakfast. But because it was her birthday and we wanted Leah to have the best birthday, we stayed up for another hour hanging up the birthday decorations.
I finally laid in bed around 2:45am as I set my the alarm clock on my phone for 7am. 4 hours of sleep… I didn’t know how I was going to make it through Leah’s birthday!
I woke up exhausted, but excited to celebrate my friend’s day. I gave her her birthday gift, a scrapbook I made from pictures and encouraging words from her family and close friends. We made breakfast and then she headed to class for the day.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do all day, but I wanted to do a few things- spend as much time as possible with Leah and try to make her have the best birthday ever. After cleaning and running errands, I finally laid down for an afternoon nap.
Leah came home from studying and we planned to go thrift shopping and grocery shopping. We also scheduled a dinner with some friends along with a game night at our apartment afterwards. It was going to be a fun night full of friends and food!
After dinner and hanging out at our apartment, Leah and I had the opportunity to simply spend time together and talk. We ended up chatting about various areas of life, from school to families to our futures. Eventually, we both fell asleep just after midnight.
It was Leah’s day. It was a great day for me also. I got to spend quality time with my best friend for almost an entire day, doing whatever she wanted to. I cleared my schedule to make sure I had time to spend with her. I worked for hours on a scrapbook for Leah. It was her day.
Near the end of the day, it got me thinking. Tuesday was Leah’s day… but shouldn’t every day be Jesus’ day? Each day, I should wake up with the mindset of letting the Lord do whatever He pleases. It’s His day. He created it. He created me. He created this world, everything in it and around it. He gave me breath and this life. Shouldn’t every day be His day?
In the midst of Leah’s birthday, I realized how grateful I am for her as a close friend, but I’m so very grateful for the gift of life that God gives us. He’s blessed both me and Leah with 22 years of vibrant, adventurous life. The best thing is that He’s a part of both of our lives.
Make today Jesus’ day. Clear your schedule and listen for His voice. Obey Him and let Him have His way!!
stories from China 