Birthdays--Big Whoop?

Birthdays. They come and go, leaving another tick on the chart of life. The sun will rise, the day will pass, and night will fall once again. It is just another day.

Or is it?

We celebrate the day of our birth as a special occasion, which it is. Were it not for that day however many years ago, we would not be here at all. That day was the one which God intended for us to enter the world, and as such, it is important indeed. We are well served to pause and give thanks for the fact that we are.

But maybe we shouldn't stop there. Maybe we should look a bit deeper, and think a bit harder, about where we have been, and more importantly, where we are going. I am not an advocate of crying over spilt milk, or looking back with regret at the past; but I do think we are well served to recognize the mistakes of the past for the purpose of avoiding them in the future. A birthday seems like a good day to do that.

This is not where I delve into my past and expose all the skeletons in the closet--those were hung on the cross of Christ. But it is where I reflect inwardly, and muse outwardly, on how I can avoid the skeletons of the future.

This year I will not . . . what? How would you fill that space? How will you fill that space? This year I will not . . . Go ahead. Fill it in. It may not be your birthday. That's just fine. Pretend. Or start your year today. Make a decision. Decide what you will not do. I'll do the same.

Now.

This year I will . . . This can be a lot more fun. Dream a little. It's OK. Some of the I wills are the not-so-fun variety of necessities in life such as I will eat better, or I will stop this habit . . . You get the idea. Those are good, and right, but not fun. I'm talking about the I will go on vacation to . . . or I will write that book, or I will do that fun thing. Those are the I wills that I often overlook. And that is actually on my I will not list. I will not overlook the dreams I have for myself. I will go after those dreams with ambition.

I will, and I will not. Are they just Birthday resolutions, like so many made on New Year's Day? Probably. Does that mean they are worthless? Not necessarily. It depends on whether or not you mean it. I don't look at them as resolutions, but goals. Something you set your eyes on and strive to reach. I will do everything I can to become a published author. I will not give in to self doubt or laziness. For me, those are two good ones to start with.

What about you?

Have any goals you might be able to set for yourself? If your birthday is near, that might be a great day to set a course for yourself. If not, why not start today? Because, after all, if a birthday is just another day, today is as good a day as any.