Celebrate YOU!
Greetings! I was trying to think about a clever and creative way to welcome you into my writing space and I can think of no better way to do so than this: Keep it simple and just start writing.
Today is my birthday!
And everyone who knows me well, knows that I absolutely LOVE to celebrate this national holiday on me and my mama's calendar. I have been celebrating my birthday for as long as I can remember. Birthdays were a big deal in our family and to a certain extent, still are.
So, even though my immediate family lives in five different states, we all expect to hear from each other on our birthdays. I admit that I probably take this to heart a lot more than they do on my day. I expect to hear from them for my day to be everything it needs to be.
And I also celebrate ME! I do not wait for anyone - family or friends - to celebrate me! I plan it. I talk about it. I announce it. And I commence the celebration on the first day of the month and conclude it on the last day of the month.
I have done so for years.
I find it strange when people tell me that they do not celebrate the day that they were born, as if their birth was not a BIG deal. I wish more people knew and appreciated how BIG of a deal it is that they were born on the day, in the month and year that they were born.
I do not get it.
Sometimes, when I hear of someone else's birthday, I can project more excitement for them than they do. I do not go overboard, but it definitely makes me think about what happened for them to not think celebrating their birth is not worth it.
So many people treat their birthday as a regular day.
I do not think it should be.
And I act like it.
I am unapologetic about celebrating the day I was born and it has been that way for as long as I can remember. I think that is how everyone should feel about the day God chose to deliver them into this world on purpose.
We were all formed in our mother's womb with a divine idea in the mind of our Creator. I admit that it might take a long time to figure it all out, but knowing that each of us is here for a purpose beyond ourselves is a gift.
YOU are a gift.
And your presence in this world has the potential to make the world a brighter and better place.
YOU are a gift.
And when it is your birthday, I pray that you would remember the words of the Lord to Jeremiah:
“Before I created you in the womb I knew you;
before you were born I set you apart;
I made you a prophet to the nations.”
Now you may or may not be a prophet. Do not get hung up on that. I want you to focus on the truth that before your mama and daddy came together, YOU were on God's mind.
With all that was happening in the universe, there was a moment when the Creator determined that the world that God created would include YOU.
And here YOU are!
What a phenomenal act of wisdom and grace - to know that the Creator of the universe wanted you to be here.
I know that life may not always be easy or smooth or without hiccups. I have had my share of all of the above. But every year when my birthday comes, I am so extremely grateful that God had the thought that I needed to be here.
So, the very least that I can do is celebrate me.
The least you can do is celebrate you.
The least we all can do on each of our birthdays is to THANK GOD that God thought about us before our parents came together, before we had a name, before we breathed our first breath.
God thought about us.
God also knew us.
God knew what we would look like, how we would sound, what our personalities would be. God knew us. And with everything that God knew, God wanted us here.
God knew who you were and what you could grow up to be.
And the truth is, as long as you are here, you still have some growing up to do.
Do not be discouraged if you have not reached all of your goals or forgotten some of your childhood dreams or gave up on something.
If you are breathing, there is still time.
Birthdays are a wonderful time to check in with the One who made you and ask -
Lord God, who am I in you today?
Where should I be?
How can you help me grow?
What have I already done well?
Check in.
The Lord knows you.
And the Lord has set YOU apart - selected you, chosen you, decided in advance that there are people, places, and purposes that need what God placed inside of YOU.
The Lord told Jeremiah that he was set apart to be a prophet to the nations.
What has the Lord set you apart to do?
Think about it.
Start with those closest to you before you run to the nations. Start with your immediate family and closest friends and then go out from those circles.
What value are you adding to the spaces you find yourself?
What do you need to walk away from - or at least reevaluate?
How do you need to live more fully into the gifts or experiences that bring you JOY?
Friends, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
And when it is your day, I pray that you will exclaim the same to yourself.
And if you need help to remember the gift that YOU are, reread Jeremiah 1:5:
“Before I created you in the womb I knew you;
before you were born I set you apart;
I made you a prophet to the nations.”
God LOVES You and I Do too!
