The Birthday Party (01/06/2024)

Yesterday, a group of us gathered to celebrate a person on her special day. The birthday party was a secret – a surprise. Somehow, 30 of her family and friends were able to keep it a secret. And she was surprised when we led her into a back party room at a local restaurant. Watching her joy at having so many of her loved ones together was itself a gift. And as she walked around, giving hugs freely, with joy in her heart and upon her face, I thanked the LORD again for the gift of her presence on my journey.

Celebrating another’s life and contributions to our lives is beautiful. However, it shouldn’t be relegated exclusively to birthday parties. It shouldn’t be postponed until a eulogy, either. Gratitude for another’s love and companionship along the way is something we should be able to express often. In giving thanks to the individual, we also acknowledge the LORD’s love that is the foundation of those life-giving and life-affirming relationships because we know that the LORD is love itself, the source of all love on earth. And at times, the very thing each of our hearts needs is the knowledge that we are loved and that our lives and love matter in the grand scheme of things.

During this Christmas season we celebrate the LORD’s love for us, so intense, so pure, that He sent His Son to take on our humanity, to dwell among us, to teach us, to heal us, and to redeem us through the gift of his life for ours. The source of all love is the LORD. And the LORD continues to bless us with companions for the journey, family and friends who brighten our paths, support us in the rough patches, and love us as our Savior commanded – “Love one another as I have loved You.”

There are so many ways to give thanks to the all-loving and all-present LORD for the love that gave us life and sustains us. Let us never miss an opportunity to affirm another on the way for their love and companionship – it’s a spiritual two-fer: it acknowledges the LORD, the source of all goodness, and it acknowledges the value of another’s loving presence in our lives.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.