Why Christians Should Celebrate Birthdays
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| Image from sugarshack.co.uk |
A few people have already celebrated their birthdays.
However, I don’t think it is too late to share what I want. There will be many
celebrations in 2014- most of them cultural. There will also be birthday celebrations
for billions around the globe. This blog is for Christians, to encourage them
to celebrate their own birthdays and those of others (whether in the faith or
not). While some people may decide to act all Uncle Scrooge and not celebrate
their birthdays, while others may dig into trite theological debates as to why
we shouldn’t celebrate, while others may simply not know their birth dates, I
want to encourage every Believer why they should celebrate birthdays this 2014
and beyond.
1. Birthdays reflects unmerited grace (The Grace of God)
On September 14th, my Facebook notifications
buzz almost every 30 seconds with people wishing me happy birthday. Phone calls
are replete and text messages are more. What have I done to deserve this love
and attention (even from people I have never met)? Nothing. My wife would get
me a gift and bake me a cake. She does not get me cake and gifts every day. Why
would she do this today? What did I do? Was I good to her? Did I treat her? Did
I win an award? Did I merit an accomplishment? No. The truth is, I did nothing
to deserve all the love and attention. I was simply born and that did not
involve my decision. I did not send an proposal to my parents from the womb dictating
the terms and conditions of my birth. I was simply born and I did not choose.
The gifts, love, attention, kind words from a birthday are nothing short of the
example of God’s love for us- Unmerited, undeserved, apart from our effort and achievement.
Celebrate the birthdays of those you want to reach out. It is a way to love
them unconditionally as Christ loves us. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. Birthdays celebrate life.
Imagine Methselah. He lived up to the age
of 969. If he celebrated his birthday, he did it for more than nine and a half
centuries. Was he bored of it? Perhaps, though I doubt it. Birthdays come once in
a year and they always remind us that we are alive. Methuselah counted each
revolution around the sun as an important mark in his life. It’s a new
year! If you are reading this, praise
the Lord you are alive! On your birthday, you celebrate a new personal year. It
reminds you that despite sickness, tragedy and calamity, you are alive. You
still have earthly purpose. Birthdays remind us that life is sacred. They
remind us that it is worth living. And even if the times are hard, we can make
a difference in our alive state that when dead. So put on a new dress, a new
shirt or do something special. This celebration also is a loving way of
reminding the world on the sanctity of life on controversial issues such as abortion.
Celebrate your birthday and celebrate life!
3. Birthdays remind us of eternity
In the draft of this blog, I contemplated
writing ‘birthdays remind us of death.’ It sounded a bit morbid, so I decided against
it. However, for a Believer, death is only the start of new life. The older you
get, the more you realize that there is more you could have done. There is less
time on this planet and you even don’t know when that is. Birthdays compel us
to live in light of eternity. They teach us that we will be accountable for our
life once we breathe our last- that we will reap in righteousness or in
iniquity in our eternity. Birthdays remind us that even if we are born-again,
we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. Birthdays challenge us to be good
stewards of our earth, our bodies, souls and spirit-men. Don’t let your birthday
pass by; it could be a fantastic opportunity to reflect and improve yourself.
4. Birthdays present opportunities to give
There
are lots of people out there whose love language if receiving gifts. Birthdays
are opportunities to express love to them by getting them something memorable.
Even if their love language is something different, like quality time, we can
still give our time by sharing a meal or an activity. When we give, we show
love and the world sees our God (John 13:34-35). You can give without loving but
you cannot love without giving. For God so loved the world that He GAVE...
5. Birthdays offer chances to spread the gospel
This point summarizes the four above. When we
love people unconditionally, we show the gospel of Grace. When we celebrate we
show that the gospel is about valuing people. When we reflect and share the histories with people, we remind them that
the gospel is concerned about the future and eternity consequently. And when we
give, we act like the God of the gospel who gave Love and it cost is own account.
Mark your birthdays, Beloved, yours and those you love and
don’t get along with too well! Have a life-filled 2014!