At the pharmacy drive through and the doctor’s office we ramble off our birthdates without much thought. I have to pause every single time as I say December 30th…..and then fill in the year. Inevitably, each time this date is mentioned there is a long and cheerful argument about whose birthday it is. Twenty four years ago today, a little boy was born. December 30, 1996. It was my 17th birthday.
I remember pretty clearly my 17th birthday. I worked during the day, went shopping to spend my hard earned cash, and spent the night at a hotel with gal pals. Boy— did my parents trust us! We had a wildly good time but even at the prudent age of 17 we knew it was more fun without boys! We went swimming, played truth or dare, scoured magazines, made confessions and enjoyed all that 17 brings. On that same day Cowboy was becoming a first time Dad. They named him Daniel Wayne Register.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
If you had pulled me aside from that 17th birthday party and said “Hey, by the way, your oldest son was just born. He’s going to really need you someday. Get ready.” I would have laughed you right on out of there with my girlfriends helping each step of the way.
That’s the funny thing about how God works. He doesn’t really tell us what he’s preparing us for. In God’s book, Daniel’s life had been written. God probably even smirked when he wrote this chapter. Daniel didn’t come bundled up in baby blue. In fact, there wasn’t even nine months to prepare. However, as I think back on the twists and turns of the beautiful and painful events that have molded me since the innocence of that 17th birthday — I see it. God has been preparing me. Today we share our birthday and it makes me smile that I get to share it with our oldest son!
