Birthdays

How many of us remember our birthday?  By that I am talking about the day we were born.  I know that I don't.  Actually when I think back I realize that I do not remember very many of my birthdays.  This is especially so for those birthdays that occurred when I was very young.  However, there are some birthdays that for one reason or another, do stand out.

I remember my 13th birthday.  As far as birthdays go it really wasn't much.  There was not a big deal made of it.  No party.  No special meal.  I don't even remember any of the gifts that I got.  But it was my thirteenth birthday; I was now a teenager.  At the time, for me, it was a big deal.

I remember my 16th birthday.  I am pretty sure that everyone remembers their 16th birthday because that is the day you can get your drivers license.  Woo Hoo!

I remember my 18th birthday.  Again it wasn't that big a deal other then I had graduated from high school, I was getting ready to head out to college, and I had to register for the draft.  In 1965, with the Vietnam conflict really starting to heat up, the draft was a big deal for those of us who turned 18.  I was able to defer this commitment for a year by going to college.  However, when I quit college it did not take long for the draft board to catch up to me.  I got my draft letter inducting me into the Army at the same time I was enlisting into the Navy.  Go Navy!

I remember my 21st birthday.  Two things about turning 21 was that I could now vote and I could legally drink.  I am sorry to say that during this period of my life partying was far more important to me than elections were.  My 21st birthday was spent in the enlistedmens club, Great Lakes Naval Base.  I had a lot of friends who were helping me celebrate this particular birthday.  I won't go into the gory details of how that night ended but suffice it to say that it did not end pleasantly.

I remember my 25th birthday.  That was the day that my auto insurance rates plummeted.  Also, I could now rent a car if I so wished.

I remember my 35th birthday.  Since I had never ever had a big birthday party my wife decided to throw one for me.  There was food, drink, musicians, and lots of friends.  I had a great time but the highlight of the day was when they presented me my birthday cake.  And no, a women did not pop out of the cake.  She had a cake made that resembled a golf course (I did a lot of golfing at that time) that had a tee, a fairway, and a putting green with a lot of trees all over the cake.  There was also 35 candles -- and in the process of lighting the candles they set some of the trees on fire.  When they presented the cake to me I was looking at 35 lit candles, and several charred trees.  The cake, however, was very good.

I remember my 60th birthday.  Again my wife had a party with just a few family members and friends present.  It was not a somber or melancholy affair, but instead, a pleasant get together filled with joy and love.  It was probably my best birthday memory, save one:  my Spiritual Birthday.

I believe that life begins at conception.  I also believe that at that moment we are given, in effect, two lives.  Our earthy body begins to form and with that formation we will have it for a finite amount of time.  If we live a full life we may live to see a ripe old age.  My grandmother, for instance, died just days before her 95th birthday, active to the end.  But we also were given a soul that will last forever.  The only question is where that soul will end up when the earthly body, in which it resides, gives up.  You see, we have a choice.

We can choose to believe that our soul can spend eternity in the presence of the glory of God and Jesus or forever separated from them.  The choice that we have to make is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that he came to earth to die for our sins; and that He rose again to prepare a place for us in His Heavenly home.  The day that we choose to make Jesus our Lord and Savior becomes another birthday:  our Spiritual Birthday.

How many of us celebrate our Spiritual birthday?  I know that I haven't.  I know the year when I was saved but I cannot remember the exact month or day.  It is the same for my wife.  She knows the year and she knows the month but not the specific day.  Last year we decided that our Spiritual Birthday was, in actuality, our most important birthday so we decided to set aside a day on the calendar where we can celebrate our Spiritual Birthday.

John 3:16 tell us;  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  With this thought in mind and not knowing the exact date of our Spiritual Birthdays, my wife and I chose to set aside March 16th as the day we will celebrate our salvation.

This coming March 16th will be the first celebration of our Spiritual Birthday.   We hope, through prayer and throught, that you will celebrate it with us.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us this day.