Birthday

Last week, on May 27th, I turned 55 years old. I really don’t celebrate birthdays any more, just accept that they exist and that I am another year older. There’s nothing I can do to change that fact, so I just have to accept it. But when I look back on my birthdays throughout the years, there are three that stand out as really significant, today I am going to tell you about those three days.

The first significant birthday was May 27th 1964 and it was the day I arrived on the planet. I was born at home (planned) in Manchester, England and obviously I don’t remember anything about that date. I know I was a large baby at over 9lbs, and I know my mom didn’t lay around waiting for my arrival. She continued to do housework until shortly before my arrival. Without that first birthday, I wouldn’t be here to tell you about it.

The second significant birthday for me was May 27th 1972. For one it was, and continues to be, the longest birthday of my life. It began in London, England and ended in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. With the time difference between the two locations, my eighth birthday lasted about 30 hours. This was the day that my mom, my brother and I joined my dad in Canada and we’ve lived here ever since. Its rather amusing because when my mom was booking the flight to Canada, I heard her book the date and realized immediately, even at seven years old, that we were moving on my birthday. That was the most significant birthday for most of my life, but then another event caused another birthday to be a much greater deal.

Not many people can say that they get to be reborn on their birthday, but that is exactly what happened to me on my 50th birthday on May 27th 2014! As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:1-13 “You must be born again”. And although it took me about 50 years to figure this out, I finally did. Many of you will know this occurred while I was spending seven months in jail at Regina Provincial Correctional Centre, but if not you can read the start of the story here. It was an amazing moment that brought tears to my eyes then and continues to do so now. Not many people can say they were literally born twice on the same day 50 years apart, but I can.

Many people deny their birthdays, and many women feel that no one has the right to ask their age, but what is the big deal? God placed us on this planet to make the best use of our time here, and whether we are 8 or 88 years of age its irrelevant, what is important is how we live each day. We need to live in the manner of Jesus, and treat each person around us with love and caring, regardless of who they are or how they act. Jesus didn’t care about people’s ages and neither should we. Unfortunately as people get older, they can do less and less, but it is no reason to give up. Our time on earth is limited, but we need to make the best use of it, because an eternity in Heaven with God is a really long time.

Don’t look at a birthday as a curse, treat each one as a really special day, but there are 364 other special days each year also. Make the best of every one of those too.

God Bless

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