Its 10am. Why Not Have A Drink?

Today is my wife's birthday. I wont tell you how old she is today, but she's nudging up towards the big four O pretty fast. We're about to give her a couple of her presents before she starts the day, but I wanted to write the blog before we do.

The phenomenon of celebrating the day of our birth is quite humorous to me at times. Some people don't really worry that much about it, while others take it very seriously and make a huge deal out of it. I've seen both ends of the spectrum.

I remember one time that Crystal and I were out to breakfast at that restaurant down at Pike's Place Market where Tom Hanks had breakfast in Sleepless in Seattle. We were sitting by the window having omelets, and were near the bar. As we were enjoying ourselves, we couldn't help but overhear this guy on his cell phone in the bar.

He was calling everyone he knew to tell them it was his birthday, he was at the bar having some drinks (at 10am), and wanted everyone to come down and join him. After all, it was his birthday.

To be honest, it was quite painful to listen to. It was clear from hearing our end of the conversation that not many, or close to no one was coming down to this bar on this morning to come have some drinks with this guy and celebrate his birthday. Pretty sad.

Here's what I think was going on though- it was a day for this guy to feel special when every other day of the year he didn't feel special. Every other day of the year he was just a normal day, but this day it was all about him and he wanted everyone to join in with celebrating him. He wanted to have at least one day when he could feel special.

I think we can all identify with that guy. Don't we all want to feel special? Don't we all want people to pay attention to us and love on us? Its normal to want to feel special in a world full of people. To have one day that is about us.

But here's what I think that guy and a lot of people forget- we are special. Every day. Not just one day a year. Why? Because we can celebrate our day of birth every day because the fact that we are alive means that God has a purpose for our lives.

When we remember that it was God who created us and brought us into this world, we are reminded of our intrinsic value and how much he loves us. When we remember that, we can feel special every day, not just our birthday.

So, Happy Birthday Crystal, and Happy Birthday to you!

Be blessed
matt