Why Christians Should Celebrate Birthdays

1. Birthdays reflects unmerited grace (The Grace of God)

On September 14^th, 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!