Morning Devotional

August 2, 2003

“Birthdays”  

by Don Emmitte

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When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "Yes," Martha said, "when everyone else rises, on resurrection day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. (John 11:17-26 NLV). 

It was this day in 1949 on Galveston Island that I first made an appearance. There have been many “appearances” since then! I do like to celebrate birthdays, though I must confess that my own usually goes without much fanfare.  That is by my design. Mary and the boys try to make a big deal out of it, but I try my best to make it just another day. Knowing that, I decided to do a little research into the celebration of birthdays. 

Thousands of years ago birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits as opposed to the good spirits were able to harm you as this day changed a person's life. It was believed that the only way to keep the bad spirits at bay was to have your friends and family around you so that their good wishes and present giving would keep them at bay. Also noisemakers are thought to have been used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits. The custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky and by lighting candles and torches they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods so that they could be answered. When you blow out the candles and make a wish this is another way of sending a signal and a message. 

Of course there are many others, some very personal to both cultures and families. Have you ever wondered why we celebrate them so much? As I pondered that, it occurred to me that counting the years of this life pales in comparison to the years of our eternal life! And, what a celebration there will be on those anniversaries!  

In our reading this morning, Jesus’ friends were mourning the death of their brother. They could not understand why Jesus had delayed coming to save him from death. I am convinced it was due to the fact that Jesus clearly understood the glory that Lazarus experienced in heaven. Sometimes we cling to this life so much that we miss the peace that comes when we rest in that life. Of course I would never encourage anyone to surrender to death. We are to persevere in our lives. However, we may surrender our fear of death and exchange it for a peace through the knowledge of our security in Christ. Birthdays are great. The more I have, the closer I get to heaven! Perhaps you should start counting your days like that, too. I’ve found it brings me great peace.