DEVOTION: Double Birthday Celebration! ~ by Shirley Corder

Today is my daughter's birthday! I'm not going to tell you how many years ago this photograph was taken, except to say it was eight days after the most important day of her life. As you can see from the happy family, it was an important day for us too. Our first baby. My parents' first grandchild.

Time has passed. My parents are now in Heaven, my little brother is about to become a grandfather (any day now!) and Rob and I are . . . well just a tad older. The baby who is the cause of all the joy in the photo is now the mother of a daughter of 22 and a son of 20. Wow! 

Over 2,000 years ago, another baby was born—one who would bring joy, not just to his family, but to the entire world. If Jesus hadn't been born, my parents wouldn't be in Heaven today, and none of us would have the promise of salvation. So surely His birthday was the most important day of His life here on earth? Or was it the day He gave His life on the cross for each of us?  

Going back to our newborn baby . . . was that really the most important day of her life? Or was it the day she was "born again", the day she gave her life to the Lord Jesus and received the gift of eternal life? Today we celebrate her birthday here on earth. We say "Happy Birthday Debbie!" and we send loving messages her way over the cyber waves. And yet, I rejoice that the 27th November is not the only birthday we can celebrate. I thank God that as a little girl, she made a specific decision to commit the rest of her life to Jesus. And surely, that was the most important day of her life?

When I ran Sunday School we used to sing with the children:

Happy Birthday to you,

Only one will not do.

Take the gift of salvation—

And then you'll have two!

Happy Birthday to all of you! 

Do you celebrate the day of your birth every year? Most important, do you have a double birthday? Debbie was 6 when she was born again. I was 18. How about you?

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley.

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Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook.