I am turning 60 (SIXTY) today. I think all Baby Boomers can relate to being shocked at how quickly the years have gone by. Yesterday our “babies” were toddlers, and today they are having babies of their own. I recently joked with a friend that “it was just yesterday that I was turning forty so it will be just like tomorrow that I turn eighty.”
It’s a heartbeat. Truly! All of you 20- and 30-somethings don’t get it. But one day you will! I promise.
When I was nearing forty, I was bemoaning that milestone while visiting my mother, who had just turned seventy. She was battling cancer and said I should embrace those new decade birthdays because we’re blessed to have just one more birthday. Though she is no longer with us, I can still hear her beautiful voice tenderly speaking those words of wisdom over me.
The thing is, these are the best years of my six decades of life. Rick and I can testify that we’ve never been closer. What we thought might end our marriage almost twenty years ago, is now what we hold most dear. We fought the good fight and now have an Ephesians 3:20 “beyond all we asked or imagined” life together.
This is a season of life where joy is often mingled with sorrow. In just two years we’ve welcomed three new grandbabies—two boys and a baby girl—and we’ve said goodbye to their great-grandfathers this side of heaven.
I often write about leaving a legacy, especially a legacy of prayer that will cover future generations to come. That is still the cry of my heart on this first day of my 60th year. Will you join me in that prayer?
O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
Psalm 71:17–18
What about you? I’d love to hear how you navigate (and embrace) your turning of days.
21 Responses
I’ve taken such comfort in knowing God is STILL answering Dan’s prayers over us. They’re eternal seeds and coverings. I’m also struck by how many mentors in my life share this same heartbeat. A legacy of prayer. Honestly, that’s how I have described you, even before reading this post and desire of your heart. I can assure you. You’re already doing it!
Thank you, dear Danita, for your kind words. You are a gift to me! Forever grateful that God had us meet at a writers’ conference in the mountains not so long ago.
Hi Judy,
Happy 60th. Same birth year as you!!!
I don’t view the age as an issue, it’s only a number.
And may our minds keep us true to the Truth. He gives us breath. He gives us life day by day and it is up
to each of us to live life to the fullest. I prefer that focus these days.
I have much to get done in the Kingdom and when I lost my youngest brother at the age of 40 without warning, well that was a game changer for sure!
We are either going up in number or we’re with Jesus!
May the well spring of our our hearts be replenished day by day by His Love and may
we be bold women to complete the call on our lives. He is faithful!
Happy Happy Birthday!
Blessings Always,
I hope you have a happy birthday! And many more! I love hearing perspective from a almost 60 year old 💕 good reminders for me in the midst of motherhood.
You are blessed!
Love this post, I also will be turning 60 next month. But I must say we grew up in the greatest time, no cell phone, computer or anything that takes away from the attention of others. We only came home when our Mother called us out loud for lunch or it was getting dark, we roller skated and biked everywhere. Those simplier days I will always treasure. The age of sixty has mellowed me out and learned how to listen and filter more.
God has given us so much to be thankful for and especially to live to this special turning point in our lives. Praise God for all things He has done- Happy Birthday!
I so agree, Nancy! Happy 60th Birthday a month early!
Judy, this was so well said. When I turned 60, I realized I was entering the last third of my life, and I want to spend my remaining years on this earth to the fullest for His glory. I want to make the most of the time I have and serve Him well, as my mom did till she turned 94. My 60’s have been a great decade so far, with some dreams coming to reality. Praying that these years ahead will be your best years yet! I’m grateful to be able to call you friend.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you so much, dear Crickett! So grateful for the impact of your beautiful life in my own!
Beautiful, thank you for sharing. The best thing about being 60 for me is the wisdom that accompanies it. Blessings to you as your journey continues.
Thank you so much, Evelyn.
Precious post, Judy! And Happy (now Belated) Birthday! If you’re anything like me, the celebration of 60 will continue for a while yet & I wish for you days that continue to fill your heart to the fullest.
Thank you for your legacy of prayer for your loved ones. It is a gift not only to them, but to all of us in the world as the impact reaches to generation after generation.
As for my navigation of the turning of days, something I have observed is we see more grief and evil in the world as we age, much of it touching our own lives in ways that rob us of the optimism of our younger years. We can easily find ourselves wondering how God can allow such things as human trafficking, childhood hunger, and the torture of believers for their faith to continue on such a overwhelming scale without His intervention.
It was when I was in a season of being flooded with grief over hard things that God brought me to the verses below, and they have become my heartcry as I age. Knowing my only righteousness is through Christ and in His presence there is fullness of joy, my prayer for aging is taken from the NIV version of Psalm 92:12-15–
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,
“The Lord is upright;
He is my Rock,
and there is no wickedness in Him.””
Dear Deb, Thank you for your thoughtful words and insights. So grateful for you and our friendship that goes back 40 years in college!
Judy thank you so much for those thoughtful words of encouragement. The sixties. They too have been the best years of Jan and my life. We’re three years in and it just keeps getting better and better!
Our grandkids are a reminder of how beautiful this time is in life and how it has engaged us with life as never before. Being fully present in the moments, moments with our wonderful spouses and family!
Please pray for Jan. She is having an angiogram this as I type. They are concerned she has blockage. We are grateful to have been on top of this for years and have amazing Doctors here in SF! We love you guys and Happy Birthday!
Dave! We are praying for Jan right now! So good to hear from you!
The Cry of My Heart. I love that! My 41st year has been so hard, filled to the brim with challenges and tears and doubt. At the time I couldn’t embrace my 41st, couldn’t embrace the coming year, couldn’t see the blessing. But I am starting to. I am praying that the Lord would hear and interpret the cry of my heart as I embrace the promise and hope of a new year.
Happy Birthday Judy!
Beautiful Denise! I am so sorry it has been such a hard year. You are so loved and missed!
Dear Judy, this year I turned 50. I so welcomed it. I have learned to cherish the days, the opportunities to get to know Yeshua more, and to be refined by Him. I embrace this season of life to pour into others His goodness and to encourage others to persevere. Perseverance. That is my key word. I’m hoping that this next decade will reveal the redemption of my adult children and me and my husband will finally be able to truly pray as one in Him.
Thank you for your beautiful posts.
Happy birthday and may your 2020 bring honour and glory to our God.
Kindly yours,
Cary Valdes
I don’t think of getting older as a negative thing, but embrace and look forward to each birthday and enjoy celebrating!
Dear Judy….My husband, Ken, and I live in Gilbert, AZ and Larry and Jeanine Bubeck put us in touch with you at Thanksgiving time when you were visiting here – however, we were all too busy to get together then. But you EMd some attachments to us, which we have devoured. I then signed up for your blog.
All this to say that, although we are two decades further along than you (me 81, Ken 78) and we have been married now for 50 years, our life journey as a couple could well mirror yours as described in this blog:
“The thing is, these are the best years of my six decades of life. Rick and I can testify that we’ve never been closer. What we thought might end our marriage almost twenty years ago, is now what we hold most dear. We fought the good fight and now have an Ephesians 3:20 “beyond all we asked or imagined” life together.”
Ken and I also testify that what we thought might end our marriage almost 30 years “…is now what we hold most dear…” .We too have never been closer. We too fought the good fight and now have an Eph 3:20 life together!
And the prayer ministry of your dad through his “Warfare Prayer” material has been the crowning factor this past year! When we see you next, I hope we can share with you some of the journey God has brought us on. He is changing us phenomenally and opening new doors with family and friends as we pray for them. Ps. 71:17-18 is one of many passages that minister to us.
Thank you for sharing about your sixtieth.
Oh, JoAnne, How lovely to hear from you here! It is amazing how our stories are so similar! I’m amazed by His faithfulness and goodness!