I am now 38 years old. 38! I'm still trying to decide how old I really "feel" – sometimes it's 18 other times it's 78. Either way I've recently had an epiphany about birthdays. Most anyone who takes the time to read these next thoughts will most likely think, "she is only now realizing this?", but I feel like writing it down today anyway – so there! 🙂
A few weeks ago, I was driving down the road having a nice talk with my favorite newly turned 5 year old, JT, on his birthday. He was asking questions and I was supplying the answers like any loyal mom does. I can't even remember the question he posed but it had something to do with birthdays. As I was giving my answer to the little boy in the back seat, this answer grew into an idea that I didn't even plan to be thinking about – I'm calling it my birth day epiphany. Notice I purposefully put a space between birth and day. I'm not sure how much of the following thought made it out of my mouth to JT, but the basic and watered down version of the following concept did. As I write it down today it's certain that I'm adding more than a few words to compete the idea as I've had time to think about it for a few weeks. Here goes:
I think that one special reason we could celebrate and get so excited on our birthdays is because it is a time that we can remember the day we got our earthly bodies. Our bodies help us run fast, taste yummy food, smell pretty flowers, and see awesome mountains. Without our bodies we couldn't do any of that stuff. We used to live in Heaven before we came to earth as a spirit, our form looked the same as we look now, but we didn't have flesh, blood, and bones. In Heaven we lived with our Heavenly mom and dad and brothers and sisters. Up in heaven Heavenly Father (God) got all of us spirits together and told us about a cool plan He had for us – he called it the great plan of Happiness. In this plan we would get to come down to earth and get a body of flesh, blood, & bones! This body would make it possible for us to become like Him. We wanted to progress and do that a lot so we cheered (probably even did a happy dance) and got really excited at this idea – even then it was making us happy. I think when it's our birthday here on earth we should still be so happy and excited and celebrate because we are here living in those bodies that we were super excited to come down and get. Being born is the time when our spirit from heaven gets to come and live in the body our earthy parents created for us. So because of this epiphany I think whenever it is a person's birthday I'll think, "what and honor you and I have of being here on this earth together and living in these bodies we have – aren't we still happy?"
Now to change to the other extreme: I have had the unfortunate opportunity of knowing people (people that I've been close to in this life experience) who take their life. It has been hard to fathom an act so contrary to that of what I have just explained above. I feel an urgency and obligation inside of me to help anyone I love and care about come to know of the importance of having the opportunity to live their life on earth in a human body. I know without any doubt that Satan and his destroying angels rejoice when they can feed enough lies into a living breathing human's mind that they are worthless or nobody likes them; that they are past the point of no return; that things would be better off without them; that life is getting too hard or complicated to live anymore and it's time to quit; and then that living breathing human in a weak moment believes it. ALL LIES! No person is worthless or friendless- we are all children of GOD just think about that!!; no person will ever be past the point of forgiveness from God because of the gift of the atonement that our brother and Savior Jesus Christ offers for us; Life will NOT be better without "you" being here to learn and grow and become better; Life can be hard and get very complicated but it CAN get better if we stay positive and seek the right kind of help! Every person is valuable and important – our spirit brother or sister.
Our bodies, no matter what condition they are currently in, are amazing. Let us not take for granted the gift and opportunity it is to be living the mortal experience. Let us be grateful for the challenges our bodies give us to remind us that at least we have one. Let us have respect for them and other people's and treat them with dignity and virtue – never to defile the miraculous gift for what it is. May we cherish each day we are allowed to look through our eyes, feel through our touch, taste through our lips, smell through fresh air, and feel the wind flutter through our hair and say, "I am thankful for the gift of my body and the opportunity it is to be HERE!"