Happy Spiritual Birthday!

That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6 NASB

Why commemorate our spiritual birthdays?

Do you think about your spiritual birthday much? It used to bug me that I didn’t have an exact day I could recall when I made the decision to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I knew I had and my life reflected that, but not being able to remember the date really bothered me considering how momentous an occasion it should be. On November 15, 2015 I felt God nudge me to make it that day. So, I did! I said a prayer reaffirming that I had placed my faith in Jesus Christ and I penned it in my journal. November 15 has become the day I commemorate my spiritual birthday.

I don’t know about you but I personally feel that this day is more important than the day I was born into this world. Our spiritual birthdays are the days we were born again–born of the Spirit not just born of the flesh as John 3:6 tells us. That is the day we receive the Holy Spirit and are granted access to the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 1:13–14). That’s mind blowing! And yet, I’ve never been invited to anyone’s spiritual birthday party. And truth be told, I’ve never had one either! Why is that? I feel that I should start making a bigger deal about this because it is, in fact, a big deal! 

How to commemorate

Everyone celebrates special days differently. I’m not the best at celebrating anything honestly. But celebrations don’t have to be over the top to be meaningful. As I reflect on how our culture typically commemorates big days, I wonder how we can do the same to openly celebrate God’s wonderful gift of salvation to us.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB

Have a Special Dinner

Feasts are a very common way of celebrating in the Bible. Be it intimate or grand, this is my favorite way to celebrate. Go out to a nice restaurant or prepare your favorite meal at home. Either way, what a beautiful opportunity our spiritual birthdays can be to break bread with others and share how God brought us to a place of repentance and freedom from sin. I wonder what kind of life giving (and possibly life changing) conversations can be had as we share our testimonies of salvation with our family and friends over a lovely meal?

Post on Social Media

Every day I see birthday wishes splashed on social media pages. I enjoy posts with pictures and videos of birthday celebrations and “then and now” type photos honoring the lives of those loved and celebrated. Wouldn’t it be awesome if the community of believers would make it a practice to honor Jesus on our spiritual birthdays by sharing how grateful we are for our “new creation” status? What a powerful evangelizing tool it could be, don’t you think?

Donate to a Charity

I love to commemorate my birthday with gifts to Christian charities. Some people like to make a little fundraiser out of it on social media too. Giving to a faith-based organization can be a heartfelt way to honor God’s gift of salvation to us, while possibly leading others to salvation in Christ as well. 

Get Away with God

The reason God created humans was for relationships. He longs for special quality time with us. That thought just melts my heart. Wouldn’t it be sweet to plan a special getaway with God? Maybe take the day off of work just to spend time with Him. Or go big and plan a retreat where you can disconnect from normal life demands and connect with His heart. Our spiritual rebirth is the reason we CAN have fellowship with God. Let’s use our spiritual birthdays to relish in that!

How do you commemorate?

Friends, if you don’t already celebrate your spiritual birthday, I encourage you to consider it. What a wonderful opportunity it can be to connect with others and share our faith. If you already do this, please share how you honor this momentous day in the comments. I can’t wait to hear about it! 

Scriptures for Contemplation

Romans 10:9

John 1:12–13

Titus 3:5