July 2, 2013

 Lamentations 3:21-23 — This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

 It’s my birthday today. Now when this guy (you know who you are …) suggested I write a birthday devotional, I wasn’t sure. I don’t really get a free choice. I write what it feels like I’m being told to write. But it seems he was more in sync than me, because this seems to be what has been chosen for today.

Here’s the thing. 15 years ago, before I got saved, I was starting to be less crazy about birthdays. I don’t know if I was sure that I would live this long, and I wasn’t at all sure what — if anything — would come next.

A lot has happened in the past 15 years, I got saved, and cleared up that matter of what comes next. I have a hope and a future! I married the most wonderful wife a man could have (I won’t be offended if you disagree, I’ll just smile gently, secure in the knowledge that I know what I know!). We moved to America, and joined a GREAT church…

I love birthdays now. In fact I’ll take any chance I can get to celebrate. But is it really Biblical? You know birthdays don’t get a great write-up in Scripture. It’s a fair guess that Job’s first family got wiped out at a birthday feast, another birthday feast was the occasion of John the Baptist losing his head, and yet another celebration proved a mixed blessing to Pharaoh’s servants! On the other hand, it’s very clear that people all through the Bible kept track of how old they were, and that it was important for some purposes (like determining if a man was the right age for temple service).

Here’s how I feel now. Every day is a cause for gratitude, as our text says, and as John Keble says in another verse from this hymn I quoted a few days ago.

 New every morning is the love our waking and uprising prove: through sleep and darkness safely brought, restored to life and power and thought.

 Every day is a day to be grateful, and marking the passage from one year to another just feels like a really good way to recognize God’s goodness with those who care for me. If that sounds a bit self-conscious, I suppose it is. I’d never really thought about it much before, but I’ll be more aware if I’m blessed with more birthdays!