What so big about birthdays? I think they are a big thing and here's why. God built cycles into the universe he created. We have the yearly cycle, the monthly cycle, and the daily cycle just to name a few. Cycles have different effects. They can be depressing if we think we are just returning to where we started with no progress. They can be refreshing if we think we get a fresh start to begin new steps of progress. They can also be a time for reflecting. I, like many people, end the year by looking back on the previous year and recording things like the - highs - lows - surprises - growth in different areas of my life such as family, marriage, ministry, friendships, relationship with God. How does all this fit into birthdays? One of the things the yearly cycle allows us to remember is the brith of that person whose birthday we are highlighting. In doing so, it can be a time of reflecting on the unique person God made and redeemed, if a Christian, in that person. In that reflecting, I also like to ask those around that birthday person to offer the answer to one of the following as their gift to them: - How have you seen growth in this person in the last year? - What is something you appreciate about this person? - How would you like God to bless this person in the next year? With these thoughts in mind - who has January birthdays in this Community?

Posted by Bob Schindler - Community Host at 2024-01-18 13:00:00 UTC