Birthdays: A Time To Remember
Last night we celebrated Kevin’s, my oldest son’s, birthday. Actually, his birthday was last week, but because of work schedules and getting everyone together, it was necessary to do it a little late.
As we sat around the table over a nice steak meal, the conversation just naturally went back in time as we reflected over the past twenty six years. There was hardly a stone unturned from the past. We tried to remember everything, which many families do during special occasions.
We remembered the infant years and how he was then. Moving in chronological progression, we basically went through his whole life, thinking of how it was then and comparing it to how it is now.
We remembered the lean years when there was hardly enough money for food and other necessities and how pleasant it was to sit and talk about those things over a nice steak. We remembered the different schools he attended and the friends he had while growing up. I guess birthdays are just a time to remember, reflect and compare.
Somewhere along the line, those of us who are in covenant with Christ had a birthday. There is that one certain day in which we made that commitment, joined in covenant with Him and our real lives began. It was then that we could mark a time when we could remember how it was BC (before Christ) and compare it to how it is now. For many, life is very different. Jesus has sweetened our lives. Our spirits are softer, yet filled with strength that helps us fight off the Evil One. We can look back and see ourselves as we were before He entered our lives and took His rightful place on the throne of our hearts.
Some of us can remember vividly the day, and some even the time, when we gave our lives to the Lord. We remember the experience of the New Birth when God gave us life everlasting. Once reaching that point, we can remember our former way of life and hopefully see a marked change from then to now.
Take a moment in your life to have a birthday party. Remember how it was before Christ and be appreciative of how it is now. Remember the days of your spiritual poverty and think of how you now feast at the table of God.
It does not matter if you are poor as a snake, you are rich with God. We, because of being born in Him, have already inherited beyond our imagination. There is certainly cause for celebration.
The next time you are feeling down, have yourself a birthday party. Remember your birth in Him and how He has freed you from your former way of life.