Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin changed the way I celebrated my birthday this year.  First of all, you need to know that I like having a birthday.  If it didn’t mean getting older, I’d do it more often.  But anyway, whether you like having a birthday or not, it is fun when others remember it (especially when you don’t remind them to remember it).  To me, a birthday is a day to remember that in God’s plan for my parents’ life he put that day and that time in place for me to be born.  The God of the universe knew my birthday before anyone else.  Pretty cool; and He knew yours too.  How much more special can you feel?  That’s why I like my birthday, because it reminds me of how important I am to my heavenly father.

Something else struck me this year though.  I was surprised and blessed by the number of Facebook and Linkedin greetings I received on my birthday.  People I don’t hear from on a regular basis or haven’t had the opportunity to speak to in years sent me birthday wishes.  How kind of them!  I was so touched that I responded to every one of them.  If they were going to be kind enough to take time out of their day to wish me well, I could take time to show them appreciation.

For all the cold, impersonal or weird status remarks we see in our various social mediums, on my birthday there were a lot of warm, kind wishes and thoughts sent.  Think about what this shows us, with the stroke of a few keys and two minutes out of our day we can encourage others.  Why wait for a birthday?  Choose a friend you haven’t heard from in a while and drop them a word to see how they are doing.

All the best,

KK