Birthdays
“‘For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14
I love birthdays. Not just my birthday, but all birthdays. I love getting to shower those I love with celebration and joy that they are in the world and my life. Growing up, I let my mom handle most things birthday related. But when I was a freshman in college, I realized how much I love them. So without my mom to reign me in, I went all out.
It started with my friend Cates’ birthday. I got 19 people to give her 19 different valentines. And then it was Delaney’s birthday, so I ordered 25 buttons that said “Happy 19th birthday Delaney” with a picture of her on them to wear around campus. Then for Kaitlyn’s birthday, I got her called up on stage at a Kieth Urban concert. And most recently I ordered tattoos of my friend Britt’s face and wore it around on her birthday with a bunch of her friends.
That’s only a snippet of the over the top birthday celebrations that my friends and I experienced our freshman year. I love that one day a year I can greet my friends with silly, slightly embarrassing, most definitely embarrassing expressions of my love for them. At first, it definitely can be awkward to feel so loved and celebrated just for being you, but learning to embrace it is truly wonderful.
There is a God who loves every one of us that much. He has a crazy over the top love for each person on this planet, constantly showering us with gifts. Every blessing that the Lord gives us is a physical representation of the Lord’s extravagant love for us.
Every beautiful day, every sweet word of encouragement from a friend, every incredible bite of food is a way of him showing us his love for us. Culminating with him sending his son to die for us, so that we may once again be made whole in him.