Good morning…
After journaling with God for a few early morning hours, I got up from our cozy couch to craft a new insight for our blog. Before writing to you, I opened the Henri Nouwen Society devotional thought for this day. What I planned to write was trumped by fresh wisdom being born.
******
DAILY MEDITATION | FEBRUARY 23, 2019 – Birthdays by Henri Nouwen
Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: “Thank you for being you.” Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.” No, we say: “Thank you for being born and being among us.”
On birthdays we celebrate the present. We do not complain about what happened or speculate about what will happen, but we lift someone up and let everyone say: “We love you.”
******
Why do these quirky words resonate with me this morning?
Seeing “February 23rd” reminds me: one month from today I will turn fifty-six years old. This is the month I celebrate my aging soul, “Thank you for being you.” Not “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished,” but “Thank you for your willingness to be born again anew.”
With each birthday season we celebrate the present. We do not complain about what happened in the past or speculate about what might happen in the future, instead we lift our True Self into the light of our conscious mind and marvel at God’s movement. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us (Colossians 2:19, MSG). Birthdays offer an opportunity to say, “Thank You, God, for another year of growing me more whole.”
…Sue…
