The Healing Power of Birthdays


I just celebrated my fourth birthday. Sure, I turned 51 but, it’s only the fourth time I’ve been able to commemorate it. It’s still a new experience and I find that it is incredibly healing. The love and appreciation expressed by friends and family are very life-affirming. It’s totally different than what I used to believe.

As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I was taught that birthdays had a pagan origin. They were said to glorify a person, which is wrong since only God should be glorified. The only birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible, that of Pharaoh in Genesis and Herod in the gospel account, ended in a tragic beheading. This was “proof” that birthdays were terrible celebrations that true Christians should avoid. We feared birthdays.

I don’t know the real reason that we were taught that doctrine. Perhaps it started off as a sincere desire to keep from offending God but, the result was that millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world have never had a day when they feel special. They aren’t allowed to feel the thrill of receiving a text or card that expresses gratitude for the simple fact that they are alive. 

For children raised in the organization, birthdays are awkward events. When friends had parties at school, we were supposed to sit in the hallway or cafeteria to avoid being contaminated by the pagan celebration. If it was our own birthday, we were trained to give a defense of our faith, telling everyone that wished us a Happy Birthday the reasons we didn’t celebrate our special day. It was an embarrassing, weird, and isolating event I dreaded every year.

Now that I’ve experienced four birthdays, I can categorically say that they are truly beautiful times. Even if there isn’t a party or anything out of the ordinary, receiving messages of love and congratulations are very healing. Just knowing that someone thinks of me and takes the time to say that I am special to them mends my heart.

My birthday this year consisted of eating pizza with my wife, her sister and her husband, and their three daughters. For dinner, my wife and I went to a Brazilian steakhouse. I answered dozens of texts and Facebook messages wishing me a Happy Birthday from people I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life. That’s all it was and it was perfect.


I think we need these days just to remember how wonderful we are and to express our gratitude for the incredible gift of friendship. If I’ve missed your birthday over the past 51 years due to my own ignorance, please accept my deepest love and a warm HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you. 

Comments

  1. Michael PaddockFebruary 17, 2020 at 8:27 AM

    I wish we were closer so we could hang out with you more. Feel free to contact me if you ever need to hear a friendly voice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. jhi29February 21, 2020 at 7:47 AM

    Well done and happy belated birthday! I've been celebrating my day for over 20 years now, and it's always like making up for lost time. But in the best way! I am able to have enough vacation time from work that I take a week off and recharge my batteries. My appreciation for the day of my birth and the time to reflect on my self-worth, no longer controlled in mind, body and soul.

    Guaranteed each one will keep getting better the more freedom you feel inside with more time and distance!

    ReplyDelete

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