THE PAIGE TURNER

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September 2012

Issue No. Six

paigikins17@yahoo.com

A Timely Celebration
When Jon and I rst got married, we bought a new alarm clock. Even though the clock wasnt all that costly, it was one of those purchases that felt rather indulgent because we both brought working alarm clocks into our marriage and there was no real need for a new one. However, Jon (in his very sickly state) moaned and groaned throughout the night, and he claimed that I had a habit of snoring. So when we spoed a large collection of white noise alarm clocks while shopping with our wedding gi cards, we decided that a new alarm clock might be an important purchase toward developing a happy marriage. Upon arriving back at home with our new noise-making clock, we discovered that it also had additional features, particularly one in which the clock set itself based on the time zone that the user entered during the initial set up. Jon commented on what a nice feature this was because now we could always trust the time on our clock was accurate since it was set automatically for us.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Birthday images from long ago ... including a photo of my favorite birthday cake ever made by two boys happy to celebrate their Mommas birthday.

The Paige Turner, September 2012

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Phot o on port le rait at ag : M Phot e 2 w y r st o eeks birth s o n r i prof es s i o g d nal Herb ay, alon ht: Cele brat ert g w Terr ing whil ith y m e he celeb . This w my gran y 1st rates dfat eek, her, I t ur 89 y ears n of lif ed 40 e.

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But within a couple of months of making our purchase, it seemed our fancy new clock was not giving us an accurate time. Tried as we might, Jon and I couldnt nd a way to adjust the clocks seings so that we could manually set the time. Initially, the time was o by ve or six minutes, but within a few weeks, the time dierence was more like ten or twelve minutes too fast. More than eighteen months aer making this purchase, the time on our fancy alarm clock is approximately 45 minutes too fast. Lately my life has been feeling a lot like this clock. This week I have celebrated my 40th birthday and Ive been nding myself asking the question of how I got to this place in my life so quickly. Wasnt it just two or three years ago that I celebrated 30 years of life? I am shocked when I realize that the oldest of my babies in about to

enter into his teen years. And in another 2 1/2 years, I will mark 20 years since graduating college! It surely feels like the time which marks the days of my life is moving too quickly and my birthday clock might be running a bit fast! The past few months, Ive given credence to a vicious mind game in which I could never win, yet somehow I was convinced it would give me more control over turning 40. My mind whirred with questions, the hard-toanswer sort: What had been the purpose of the rst 40 years of my life? Where was I going in the next 40 years of my life? Along with the never-ending questions, memories beckoned me to relive each past moment of regret and failure (all 40 years worth), while worries of failing to live up to future expectations (mostly of my own making) pestered me day and night.
The Paige Turner, September 2012

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut o.
Proverbs 23:18

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Fear of the future isnt new to me. My father likes to tell the story of the day he and my mom took me to Louisiana Tech to begin my freshmen year of college. Apparently my dad had spent the larger part of the morning loading our family vehicle with all of my belongings. Once he was done, he and my mother waited for me to emerge from my room so that we could begin the trip. Aer waiting quite some time, they walked back to my bedroom to see what was taking me so long ... and it was then that they found me siing on my bed counting pennies. I dont recall why I started counting the pennies in my large jar of loose coins, but I know that at some point it simply became a calming way for me to deal with the emotional turmoil I was feeling associated with such a big change. Fear is my personal nemesis ... (or is it the laundry? Perhaps it is fear of the laundry, but now Im geing o track.) In addition to fearing the future, I can get side-tracked with fears of change, failure, or even success ... and if nothing else, I nd I can work myself into a fearful mess about not feeling fearful over a given situation. Yes, friends ... I am ashamed to admit this but the truth of the maer is fear is actually rather comfortable for me. You see, I know the fear in my mind, while I do not know what is on the other side of the fear. Choosing to remain fearful is sort of like choosing to lie down in the mud and muck, but honestly if I picked myself up out of this mess then Id have to work at geing all cleaned up and that will take energy which I am really not sure I want to expend. Wallowing about in my fear is far more easier than actually doing anything about it. Yet every time I come to a fearful place in my life, I know deep in my soul that fear is nothing more than a lack of trust in God. Therefore, for me to continue to live my life given over to fear will only result in a disconnected, damaged relationship with God. Strangely enough, the very thing I ought to fear the most is a living my life separated from my Savior, the very One who conquers all fears and gives freely a perfect peace which can be found only in Him.

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Do not remember the past events, pay no aention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
~ Isaiah 43:18-19 ~

a photo with my beloved J o n , taken on my 39th birthday

May the God of hope ll you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13~
The Paige Turner, September 2012

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Its Time to Party On!

When I was a child, my mother always planned wonderful parties to celebrate my birthdays ... a doll tea party the year I turned 5, and a cake decorating party for a group of aspiring chefs the year I turned 8 are among my favorites. Each year, no maer how big or small the celebration, one tradition remained the same. My parents would recount to me the story about the day of my birth ... of how my dad predicted on the way to the hospital that their baby would be a girl, of how he spent time on that Sunday morning in the hospital chapel, and how upon seeing me for the rst time his impression was that my newborn head was shaped somewhat like a football and my toes were long enough to belong to a monkey. Despite my fathers initial thoughts regarding my appearance, for the past 40 years, I have known this one true thing ... my parents are thankful for the day of my birth, and nd it worth celebrating. If my earthly parents feel that way, how much more does my Heavenly Father rejoice over me? I dont suppose that the Bible says much about birthday celebrations in particular, but I do know that God loves a good celebration. When I think of heaven, I think of the wedding feast. What a joyous party that will be! My favorite parable told by Jesus is the story of a father who through a large party when his wayward son returned home again, a picture of how God looks at me when I come to Him in humbleness. Theres no condemnation, only elated joy resulting in a mega-party! I also know that God nds great value and takes joy in each of His creations. Psalms 100 says this:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are His ...

to i o n rty a itat inv day p t h e bi r t h d thir my

As fear of the future gives way to the acceptance of Godgiven truths , there are now new questions beating in my soul: What is life if it is not meant to be lived as a celebration of Gods magnicent love? And how can I serve my God with gladness if I dont acknowledge His role as Creator of all, including the creation of me? The joy for which we all long for in our lives is only found when we learn to trust in the One who created us and loves us with a love worth celebrating. Happy Birthday to me! And may God bless you all!
The Paige Turner, September 2012

However many years a man may live, let him ENJOY them all! Ecclesiastes 11:8