Long Life And Prosperity (Happy Birthday)预览

 Family Matters 

Your birthday is not just for you; it’s not just about you. Over the last few days, we have talked much about God and His love for us. Today we are shifting that focus a little bit.

I’m the first-born child of my mother and as a mother myself; I remember when I gave birth to my first child. It was one of the best moments of my life;—to hold this child in my hands,. My blood and flesh—mine (or so I thought).

The birth of my first child and the annual reminder also known as her birthday has had me excited ever since. However, at least for the first three or so years, she was completely unaware of the significance of her birthday, or the fuss we made to celebrate her with each passing year.

I remember her first birthday and the huge party we arranged to celebrate her. Her hair was done, the cake was ready, decorations were up, her friends had received their invitations, music and food all arranged, we had picked out the best clothes for her to wear and so on...

Fast forward a few years, and now she’s the one making all the decisions about how she wants to spend her day and informing her parents of what (if any) engagement she requires from us.

It’s funny how the tables turn, but each year as we celebrate our birthdays, we forget the ones that really matter. The ones that went out of their way to make everything “picture perfect” for the album, at a time when it all was of little or no significance to us.

Birthdays are indeed a time to reflect not just on how far we’ve come or the things that God has done for us, but also the people that He has placed around us.

The truth is that we can’t choose our families. God does that for us. For as many of us that still have that relationship with our biological parents, we should give some love back and remember them on our birthday, in our prayers, and if possible, sending them a card, calling to pray for them, or even buying them a gift. Sure you can do this on their birthdays, but it’s extra special when it’s on yours.

Listen, even if you are orphaned or estranged from your biological parents, your birthday is a great time to honour God in the lives of your spiritual parents and those He has placed in your life to fulfill the parental role.

As you celebrate your life in this season, take some time to celebrate and appreciate those around you, family and "friends like family". When you do, God is honoured and the bible tells us that our reward is long life.

Let’s say a prayer:

Father, thank You for our families and ‘friends like family’ that You have placed in our lives. As we remember them today, we pray a special blessing upon them. Help us especially to honour our parents because we know that this, in turn, will bring honour to Your name. We pray that the blessings of long life that come with honouring our parents will be ours. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless you!