40. It's a cool number with a lot of significance. Forty seconds can change the outcome of a football game and even a season. Forty days was how long Jesus stayed in the wilderness after His baptism and the amount of time some experts say it takes to develop a life-changing habit. Forty weeks is how long God uses to develop a baby inside the womb of its mother. Forty years is how long God's children wondered in the desert before being allowed to enter the promised land.

It just so happens that's how long my wife has been alive. I know that's a bad thing to reveal (a woman's age) but that's only if the woman has something to hide--like she looks like 40 when she's only 30. That's not true with Lisa.

I love Lisa. She has been a blessing to me and my kids and an incredible addition to my life. She's been through a lot in 40 years. She's faced really, really dark times and lived through some amazing highs. She's given birth to 2 children and adopted for herself two more (that would be mine). When faced with challenges, she has risen to the occasion and trusted that God would deliver an answer (How sad that, in my case, the best answer He could give was me--just kidding Lisa) She handles herself with grace and love and offers the same to any she comes in contact with. She is a full time mom and a full time realtor--a difficult combination.

And today she's 40. And everything those 40 years have brought her way have made her who she is today. I love it. I love you. I'm praying for another 40 years of life so we can see, together, what God chooses to do with our stories. Happy birthday, Lisa! Here's hoping the rest of our lives are a pure reflection of what a loving God can do with two people who are completely surrendered to His will.