I have a friend back home named Alison. I’ve known Alison for several years now, and I’ve noticed something. In fact its hard to help noticing if you’re around her a lot. She loves birthdays. You see, Alison will turn 16 this year. And though her birthday isn’t ‘til August, she’s been talking about it for months. She’s not excited just because of the presents and the sweets, although she likes them. It’s because she is EXCITED about getting a year older. This year, of course, she’s looking forward to getting her learner’s permit – the first step towards her license.
A couple of years ago, she was excited because she was going to turn 13 and she officially became a TEENAGER. She had looked forward to that day for a long, long time. After she turns 16, she will no doubt start to count the months until she reaches the magic age of freedom: 18!
Do you know why kids love birthdays and adults don’t? Because kids love what they are becoming, and adults are afraid of what they are becoming.
Do you remember that old commercial that said, “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better!”? If it is our desire to become like Christ, then we can be excited about our birthdays, too – because we can be excited about what we are becoming. If we realize that we are becoming more like Him with every birthday, then we can act like kids again about our birthdays. If we build our hope on becoming like Christ, on the inward process, not the outward process, then we can take heart, and not lose heart, even in the midst of suffering.
We can celebrate our birthdays again – because faithful followers of Christ are getting better all the time.