Reclaim Your Birthday

Written by Joyce Milton

What wonderful plan do you have for your next birthday? When Colleen, a youthful mother of six, turned 40, her husband and his cohorts threw her a surprise party with a ‘50’s theme. They even had a retro outfit, complete with high heels, ready for her to put on. Was she really surprised? Well, 75 people saw her without makeup, and I thought she was going to maim her husband. She recovered and had a wonderful time.

My creative friend Mandy planned her own celebration last year, inviting friends from her college group at one church and a discipleship program at another. She even lined up a worship team and gave them a song list. Her family provided the cake and decorations, and she had a blast watching her worlds intersect.

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When did birthdays stop being fun?

How about you? Are you looking forward to your next birthday, or does the thought of it make you shudder? Do you ever find yourself wishing you could skip a year, since the annual event only seems to remind you that you’re looking less like a runway model every year?

Let’s face it, the day that’s supposed to include a special the – world – revolves – around – you celebration may instead be tinged with a depressing ache of unfulfilled dreams…a dull, throbbing reminder that your days are numbered.

How does this happen to so many of us as we age? Who robbed us of a wonderful excuse to celebrate life—even if we make the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting cake ourselves? The writer of the Proverbs tells us to look to the ant to gain insight. I, on the other hand, ask you to turn your attention to chocolate, and see if there isn’t some understanding in the story of a young girl’s pleasure.

A lesson in chocolate

Step with me into one of my earliest memories. When I close my eyes, I can still see myself at Hart’s Department Store with my parents. There was something sparkling about those treat days, when a side order of mashed potatoes—my favorite non-dessert to this day—was the perfect lunch. I could hardly wait to finish and go to the candy counter, place my order and hold in my hands that small white paper bag, folded neatly to hide a nickel’s worth of malt balls. I loved the chocolate-covered candies that would literally melt in my mouth, a reward for my patient delight.

Now let’s fast forward fifty years to my first visit to Hong Kong, when I found myself in the candy department of a corner market. Bright red boxes marked Maltese caught my eye, so I read the label. Malt balls in Hong Kong…who knew? But a closer look sent me into a spasm of delight, a burst of loud, happy, American words, words that probably included, “Duuuuuude.”

You see, Maltese makes regular, boring malt balls, but — oh, happy day — they also make them in dark chocolate, which is the best. No matter what you think. I got in line, put what I hoped was the right kind of money in the cashier’s hand, and the deal was sealed.

I was in chocolate heaven for the rest of the trip to Beijing, doling out a few pieces at a time, savoring every bite: little bits of a personal party inside my mouth as I watched the amazing Chinese landscape fly by from the window of the train.

Finding new things under the sun

My experience with chocolate malt balls is a great illustration of the way I feel about birthdays. Who knows, who can even imagine what wonders the world still holds for the young at heart? The writer of Ecclesiastes was right…there’s nothing new under the sun. But who’s experienced everything under the sun? If there are dark chocolate malt balls—and, for that matter, the individual chocolate lava cakes I met recently!—what other joys still wait to be discovered?

Of course, this is not just about chocolate. There’s a wonderful brand of chocolate made in California called Helen Grace, and that’s brings me to the point. Celebrating life takes God’s help, the help we often call grace.

Grace, it has been said, means that God understands. And He does. He understands that life has a way of robbing our innocent belief that we can take the good parts for granted. We have serious concerns; we have aches and pains and problems that can rob our joy, if we let that happen. But with the temptation to be cynical and bitter comes a promised way of escape, a gracing that helps us see the best and chill out about the rest. It’s a choice.

Reclaim your birthday

What if, instead, we choose to let every candle on every birthday cake remind us of the added light of wisdom that grace brings? Why not toss a handful of confetti all over the living room in gratitude for the knowledge that every little bad thing doesn’t mean the world is ending, and every little wonder — a baby’s laugh, a box of dark chocolate malt balls, a shared moment of insight — can now be more fully experienced and appreciated?

This shift in perspective must be intentional. Why not begin your next birthday celebration today by starting a log of the wonders your wise eyes see tucked away in the folds of everyday life?

If you keep at it, by the time your birthday rolls around, it may turn out to be the best present you’ve ever received.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day. There are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.