So I am 10 days into being 25 years old! I’ve heard this birthday was supposed to be something like a big deal, and I have to admit- it was definitely very exciting. On the eve of my birthday I sat in one of my favorite spots (Starbucks) and I decided to toss off the quarter life crisis that I had been experiencing for the past month, and really let the reality sink in.

So I’m not a U.S Senator, my psycho-therapeutic center is not open, I haven’t penned a best seller, my company hasn’t touched millions, I have yet to encourage thousands of individuals domestically and over-seas to aspire for more, I haven’t purchased property and I have yet to receive my Nobel Peace Prize. Go figure, but then it hit me. I wasn’t suppose to see 20 (Seriously Read my story) ! So apparently God desires to do more with my Life than He does with my death.

As my quarter life crisis began to subside, I realized ONE major thing that I would like to share with you:

Where I am is not where I want to be, but where I am is where I need to be. Where I am has made me desperate for the Lord. Where I am has made me want to see the fruition of what I have been called to do more than I want to breathe. Where I am has been the breeding ground for an insatiable drive and desire to achieve something amazing. Where I am has fortified me. Where I am has forced me to define myself not by the world’s standards but by God’s. Where I am has developed me in ways that I never would have imagined a few years ago. Where I am is exactly where I have needed to be. Paul says in the book of Romans that “all things work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to His purposes”. Thank you Lord for where I am.

I am at a place where God is making me impregnable, immovable, and solid. Three things that are absolutely imperative. I am at the place in my Life and my calling really, where I am developing the confidence that God has not only given me great ideas and tasks to accomplish, but the conviction that He has. I am crossing over into a place where the doubt of others is irrelevant, where I am not afraid to talk about that which burdens my heart. A place where I look at situations and issues and say well you know what I have a solution to that problem or the confidence in the fact that I could. That I am highly capable of accomplishing some serious things in this life, simply because it’s not about me. When I was a child, every birthday was about me. I am at a place where I am looking at my life not from the vantage point of what I have done, but what God has done. Not just looking at my future and asking the really hard questions for my personal benefit but for the benefit of those whom my Life will touch.

Thank you Lord for another year! When I think about the possibility of the next 25-95 years of birthdays I am reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech ” I’ve been to the mountain top” where he says,

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.”

Dr. King said it perfectly. I’m just a branch trying to stay connected to the vine, and when it’s time. It’s time.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to have an incredible 25th Birthday Brunch. Bringing together some friends and family to really celebrate the blessing of another year. It was an incredible time. It was seriously the best birthday celebration I’ve had since the day the doctor pulled me from my mother’s womb. Special thanks to my lovely girlfriend, her wonderful sister/my amazing friend, my super amazing cousin, and everyone else for pulling it off! Here are a few pictures from the event.