THE JESUS WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY -- Devotional for July 22, from "Good Seeds"

DEAR READER: I have decided to honor the birthdays of my immediate family in GOOD SEEDS. As I was writing "The Jesus Way to Celebrate Your Birthday" I remembered that July 21 is the birthday of our departed son, Peter. So please note these date changes: "The Jesus Way to Celebrate Your Birthday" (see below) has been assigned to July 22, and "The Grieving Parent's Prayer" is for July 21, in honor of Peter's birthday.

Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28)

I have birthdays on my brain right now, maybe because July is the dominant birthday month for my little clan: 6 of us out of 20 have a July birthday. A birthday is a very significant day for every human being: 1) It marks the entrance into the world of a brand new, unique, never-seen-before and never-to-be-seen-again personality; 2) It establishes a personalized holiday wrapped around just one person (of course millions of people in the world share your birth date, but you almost don’t want to know about it, as it waters down the attention you’d like to receive as uniquely your own for just that day); 3) No matter how important, or insignificant, you may be in the world or in your own eyes, you stand on an equal plane with presidents and rock stars – and with paupers and criminals – in that you have a birthday, and you have every right to celebrate it! Nobody doesn’t have a birthday, and nobody has more than one. The birthday is the great equalizer among humanity. In a small church I pastored we announced and celebrated in song the birthdays as well as anniversaries of our members on the first Sunday of each month. I remember saying, “As nice as it is to have a birthday, and as much as we rejoice with you on yours, it doesn’t take any real effort or character to keep having birthdays – you just have to stay alive! But the anniversary is a more noble holiday, and so we especially commend the couples who have kept their married love alive all these years and are still going strong!” A birthday is a personal holiday, but is it truly a holy day? Not necessarily – but it can be, and should be. Something that is holy is set apart from desecration and sin, and separated unto the Lord, for His glory. Jesus could have been talking about boastful birthday boys and girls (and men and women) when He spoke of those wishing to be great, to have accolades and attention focused on them, to be served cake and ice cream, to be given the seat of honor, to be showered with presents and extravagant, if not entirely sincere, compliments and courtesies. We give these to others on their birthdays, if only to earn the same for ourselves when it comes our turn. How noble is any of this? I remember reading a book to my children about a little girl who awoke on the morning of her birthday and decided she would treat each person she met that day as if it were their birthday, but never say that it was hers. That’s the Jesus way to celebrate your birthday: make it a day to bless others; and as far as honor and attention for you – leave that up to Him.