BIRTHDAYS

  Today is the day that the young welcome and that the old dread! My birthday is today; not actually the day I was born, but the anniversary of it. We celebrate life, but face it; life is tribulation. Actually, the world gets in the way of happiness. It is a great source of pleasure and entertainment, but at the end of the day, the day is done, and all that remains is you all alone. Fortunately, most of us have families that make us feel less alone, but in the end of the “spiritual day” that we call “life,” it is just me and God!  In this case, “me” is me, but put your name in there as it applies to everyone.
  Family and friends do serve purposes. They allow us to feel togetherness. There is one big problem with families; they are under attack. Holy Matrimony is about extinguished, and even the institution of secular marriage is under attack. With the family torn asunder, the family system is in jeopardy. After generations of blended families, each isolated from the other, the institution of the family has eroded. No one, it seems, is as close to their family as was the previous generation. Soon, people will be entirely alone as the family is no longer a unit, but in disunity.
  Satan is responsible for the erosion of marriages and the disharmony within families. He wants both institutions to fail because those institutions are ordained by God to be forever. I remember when my own son’s wife left him all alone. He had a placard on the wall, and on it was written, “Families Are Forever.” His marriage was torn asunder and his family dispersed. Satan, two; son zero since that was the second time at “bat.”
  Since birth is merely the commencement of tribulation, perhaps we should rue the day that we were ever born as Jeremiah the prophet did. What did Paul mean when he wrote, “To live is Christ; to die is gain?” He meant for those who live their lives for Christ, and not themselves, death is gain. What is gained by death? Life! Is that not ironic?
  Death ends tribulation for Christians, and unfortunately begins it for those who are not. Blessed are they that trust the Lord. “Blessed” means bliss. No one can fathom the tribulation for most that lies ahead, and neither can they the bliss for the few! We cannot begin to understand what bliss will be. One thing for sure is that blissed Christians will never be alone or feel alone. Their family will be everyone. Wives will become sisters and husbands of the wives will become brothers. Everyone who is blissed will have a great and numerous, family of God.
  No longer will those blissed in Heaven have a heavy heart. Never will they miss those whom they left behind. Those who despised them in life will not be with them in death. Strangely, though, they will not be missed; it will be as if they never existed.
  I can’t imagine ever leaving those that I love. I can’t imagine Heaven without my family. I wish that I could pray them there, but only they can pray the prayer for bliss.
  One atheist made a great point; that if Christians were truly loving that they would not sleep at night, knowing that others are going to Hell. Indeed, that does keep me awake at night! A birthday without people would be lonesome, but an existence without anyone to love would be no existence. I, as well as you, were born to love God. That is the reason that we exist. Imagine the lonesomeness that God feels when those He loves are not with Him.
  Birthdays are of little importance, but rebirthdays are! Nobody told me how important my rebirthday would be, so the exact date is long forgotten. It would be better to forget one’s birthday than never to have a rebirthday.
  Satan can make me feel isolation on my “birthday,” but on my one and only rebirthday, he is helpless. For that reason, I can look the death angel in the eye, and say, “Death is gain for me.” Sure, I dread passing over, but what is on the other side is blissful! I will see my Dad and Mom, and my brother Joe and Rich. Just think of the reunion when they meet me at Heaven’s Gate! My family will never die. My desire is that I too will meet my children there someday as well. I can hardly wait to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant of God!” I can just hear the angels applauding when the door for them is opened.
  You see, age is not to be despised, but only nearer the time of salvation than when I first believed. Bliss in death is the hope of Christians. God seemed t understand old age. It is not more than we can handle, as He promised. The tribulation in the world acclimates one to the meeting with the angel of death. Christians tire of the distress in the world and look forward to better times. One year gone by is one furlong closer to the prize. Do not pity the elderly because with their weak vision, they see what’s on the other side of death.
  What is here today seems so precious, but imagine a world without hate, strife, jealousy, impatience, and such! Today I am merely an angel-stride closer to my reward. I can almost hear the cherubim opening the well-oiled gate now; oiled with the blood of Jesus. I can almost hear the seraphs song; singing about a not so lonesome dove. Now, I hope you see that death is not so bad, and that life is mostly tribulation; just a prison from which to escape unscathed by the barbs of the evil one!

(Credit: google images)