Happy Birthday!
Yesterday was my husband’s birthday….a day to celebrate. God also used the special day to teach me an object lesson as well.
When I got up, my first thoughts went to Brian and how I could make his day wonderful. I made sure to have hot tea in a travel mug and a small treat ready for him before he left for work. I started his car so that it would be warm (we have weather in the teens or below here in Iowa!). I sent him an email, called him at work to say hello….We made a special birthday dinner and baked a cake. It was a day spent preparing and cheerfully thinking of nice things to do for Brian. There wasn’t any complaining. I was excited and expectant, looking forward to making Brian feel special.
It was early in the day when God spoke to me. Very gently, He whispered, “Hmm, Tracy, do you have this cheerful attitude serving your family on a day to day basis? Why should a birthday be treated differently?”
I realized that although birthdays ARE special, I need to be serving my family with that same excitement, same cheerfulness, same patience, same love, and same selflessness every day. I don’t need to wait for a BIRTHDAY to serve my loved ones LOVINGLY!
Not only did it make Brian feel special (he has said “thank you” several times!), but I felt wonderful showering love on him.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others…..Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure…shining like stars in the universe.” Philippians 2:3-4, 14-15
My prayer is that I continue to lovingly serve my husband and children DAILY. I can make every day a “birthday”. I want to do special things for my family with a cheerful attitude.
So, I am not going to wait for a birthday to celebrate! My prayer is that you, too, take this advice and make TODAY a “birthday!”
Thirsty for Him,
Tracy
Please visit me at my personal blog, THIRSTY FOR HIM.
This is a great idea. Thanks for the devotional and the reminder to make each day special and to treat my husband with more “specialness” on a daily basis. I really need to do that. For some reason it is easier for me to make my kids feel special than to do it for my dh and that is backwards.
I sort of do this for my kids by making one afternoon a week a special day for one of my 4 kids and I. they each get a turn, one child on one day and I try to do it most weeks. I have been inconsistent but we are getting back on schedule today.
We set up the card table or two tray tables in my bedroom and have lunch alone together. Then we spend time talking and doing whatever that child wants to do. We usually play board games and/or a computer game. With the girls it is more likely to be only board games and with the boys it is usually a combination of both. Today is dd Jessica’s day she is 20yo. We are both looking forward to our time together. This is one way I make each child feel special and get time to chat alone through most of the afternoon.
Make today special.
Wow. what a great reminder to us today that each day is a special day wih our loved ones. I was also thinking when reading your devotion, how much we go out of our way to express our love to our loved ones on their special day…how come it is so difficult for us to find just a few moments to spend with our Lord?
Great thoughts today, Laurie
OUCH! Great point Sister. Oh my. I am so glad I read this.
Thank you for sharing your lesson with us!
Love,
Beth
Gosh this gives me lots of food for thought!
I’m so grateful for the lesson you learned and passed on to us. Such wisdom and inspiration for the days to come! Thanks, Tracy, for a wonderful post.
Loved this honest inspirational post. Birthdays are special but so is everyday. Great reminder for me. I want to serve with gladness not with grumbling. Sounds like you had a great day with your family and with HIM.
Hi Tracy,
This is such a good idea. Thank you for sharing this. I often forget I need to serve each day and find the specialness in the day to day.
Great post sweetie.