🙌It's the Friday Call to Worship!🙌

I grew up in a family that celebrated “birthday months”. I thought it was the only way to celebrate and was sure I’d carry on the rich traditions. It hasn’t played out that way, however, as anticipation costs my autistic son immeasurably. At just 7-years old, he’s asked me to not tell him when it’s his birthday or anything exciting at all - until it’s time to celebrate.

My birthday is at the end of August. We usually whisper-plan a family meal or date night. My birthday tradition with friends is to eat an exclusively chocolate meal at my favorite cafe in town.

This year, I’m not even calling it August - it’s “My Birthday Month”. (But please don’t tell my 7-year old!) I’m not looking for attention. I’m looking for myself. I have to do it out loud or I won’t do it at all.

This year has thrown a few curveballs… and fastballs and cannonballs too. I haven't lost my identity, but many "identity markers" have been sacrificed to the hierarchy of needs that comes with caring for my son through nervous system burnout. I’m staring to feel like I’m losing access to the strengths God gave me for this season as I lose touch with things that make me feel like me. I think our purpose in this world is grafted in with our God-given personalities, uniqueness and worldviews. We each bear a certain twinkle of His image, and we owe that twinkle to the world. It’s our spiritual act of worship.

This month, one of the most spiritual things I can do is tell you my “birthday month commitments” and stick with them. It’s just two things: Move my body every day. And finally take my jewelry in for repair - even if it gets ripped off again during a meltdown. (I’ll definitely still eat chocolate for lunch too.) We don’t have to wait for the hard times to be over to claim back the glimmers of God He gave us. It’s our testimony and His glory.

Listen to Charity Gayle’s “This is My Story”.