My 25th Birthday – A New Season in Life

Today I turn 25.

I think for me, this marks the beginning of a new stage in life… a new season. A third of my life – a quarter-century – has come and gone. If I were to look back, I would think that the first third was characterised by a quest for manhood. The main goal and search of my life was to find out and then become an ideal of manhood. What does it mean to be a man, and how can I live up to that standard? That was the question that always surfaced in my mind whenever I examined myself or thought seriously about my life.

And now in the last year or two, I think my views have solidified, and I have found an answer. It may not be a complete answer, and may not encompass the whole definition of manhood, but for me, it is enough. It satisfies my understanding of what seems to be the key essence of manliness – the cornerstone of manhood upon which all other qualities are built. And this can be summed up in one word: responsibility. Responsibility – as a husband, as a father, as a teacher, as a leader, as a citizen, as an employee, as a friend. When Duty calls, Man must answer.

A man can be measured by the depth and breadth of the responsibilities that he has been entrusted with, and how well he bears up under the burdens of them. Responsibility for the care and safety of his family. Responsibility to not leave or run away… for staying and being there when others need him. Responsibility for the decisions he makes, and the consequences thereof – from choosing Who he will follow to what he decides to do in the day-to-day moments of his life. The first words that God spoke to Man included in them a burden of responsibility and a duty to fulfill: God charged man to “fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen.  1:28, NASB)

So that is my answer to the quest for manhood that took up the first third of my life. I will probably still continue to grow and discover more about what it means to be a man as I gain new experiences in life, no doubt. But these will now no longer be my focus. I think the season is changing for me.

The next season in life, I feel, is going to be about the pursuit of wisdom. I have learned, and have acquired responsibilities – as a teacher, as a friend, as a leader, as a son. But the wisdom to manage those responsibilities well – to advise people who are facing difficult situations, to handle unexpected surprises in life, to know what to do and what to say in troubling circumstances… when Solomon inherited the awesome responsibility of being king over God’s chosen people, he prayed for wisdom to be able to fulfill his task in life. And so, too, I pray and wish for the same.

What does it mean to be wise? And how can I increase in wisdom? Those will be the questions that will guide me in the next 25 years of my life, as I deepen and broaden my experiences in life – as a working adult, a Christian leader, a filial son, a husband, a father, a friend, and a teacher of others. When I turn 50, I hope I will be known for my wisdom and insight into human nature and Divine reality. But there will be a long road ahead.