Birthday Lifetime

by Adam Kronberger / Head of School

Last week I was taking a quick break on my front porch in the sunshine with family members. I was eager to go back inside and get back to work, but it was my birthday after all. A few more minutes under blue skies were certainly warranted. Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of honking car horns.

A dozen cars driven by quarantine-crazed seniors blessed my day with a birthday parade I have never experienced before. Balloons, streamers, and decorated windows accompanied the noisy procession. Nearby neighbors came out to gawk at the disturbance, not quite understanding the ruckus. Crosshill students had come from as far as Silverton and Monmouth to join the parade and be seen out in public. With the current price of gas, who could blame them!

I certainly was honored by their expression of affection for their fearless leader and math teacher. The fact that one of their classmates also had a birthday procession minutes before did nothing to temper my gratitude. The fact that students had been holed up in their houses for weeks and might have performed a parade for just about any reason also did not cross my mind. It was my birthday. A day to feel special.
Sometimes on our birthdays, we might feel like we are entitled to our special day and the fanfare of gifts and cakes and parties that often go along with them. Some people even require their family to celebrate their "birthday week" or "birthday month". I get a kick out of that and enjoy helping others feel special. But at the end of the day, birthdays are just a mundane reminder that the earth has traveled around the sun once again.

I am reminded of the truth that is far from mundane or routine. "But God shows his own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Nothing is more powerful or special than God's love for us. And there is nothing that we could ever do to earn it. In fact, the very essence of our sinful flesh requires the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The gift of salvation is obviously better than any gift one could receive in their natural lifetime. The next time your receive or give a gift, be reminded of the ultimate gift that gives each of us new birth in Christ. Now that is a "birthday lifetime".