I (Laurel) turn 40 on July 3.
40.
That’s not a big deal, right?
When I was a kid, like 8 or 9, I remember the old people in my life having “over the hill” parties when they turned 40. 40 was really old.
But here I am at 40, and now 75 seems young. For real. Perspective is so strange and interesting.
So, anyways, as of May 25, turning 40 was 40 days away, and I wanted to do something special each day up until my big day. I did this same sort of countdown when I turned 25… 25 days before hand, I did a new activity each day, or something I had always wanted to do but had put off. Like milk a cow, make time for a neighbor I never visit, make no plans at all and see what happens, read that book I always said I’d read…
Here were are at June 3, 30 days away, and I am finally getting taking a moment to document the first 10 days of this count down.
I thought about the significance of 40 days. In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights while Noah and his family were tucked safely inside of the ark, escaping the destruction of mankind. The Hebrews wandered the desert for 40 years after being brought out of slavery from the Egyptians. Jesus hung out with people for 40 days after His resurrection. And He, himself, fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to prepare “for His temptation, and through His fasting, He [completed] a work which [would] define the rest of His earthly life and ministry: one wholly in submission to the will of the Father while fully in command of the divinity He owned from eternity past” (Lovell, 2025).
A few more thoughts on Jesus’ 40 day fast: “Jesus’ temptation was not merely for Him to prove He could defeat Satan in the cosmic battle of supernatural powers. The greater point being made is that Jesus, being filled by the Spirit and in obedience to the Father, defeats the power of sin by overcoming the curse, or in the case of His death upon the cross, by becoming the curse for us (Galatians 3:13). His defeat of Satan in the desert displayed the power of the sustaining presence of God’s Word in the midst of temptation. It also foreshadowed His ultimate victory over Satan when He arose from the grave on the third day after His death upon the cross, thereby defeating death itself” (Lovell, 2025).
At first, I thought I’d do 40 random acts of kindness. I had some great suggestions. Some of which I will be doing unannounced, but, more publicly, I decided to share 40 days of thankfulness to the Lord. Jesus’ 40 day fast made me realize that setting aside a designated chunk of time rewires our brains in a way to reprogram the way we view life and handle situations. And if I spend that chunk of time, being 40 days, praying and giving thanks, my mind and heart will most likely change.
So, join me on my journey of 40 days of thankfulness. I’ll start by saying I’m thankful for you and you taking the time to read about my journey.
(Posts in “40 Days to 40 category”)
Irons in the Fire 