From the Desk of Pastor Matt
Dear Church Family,
My brother’s birthday was yesterday (November 3). For the last couple of decades, I have used his birthday instead of mine for anything that was not legal or official in some way. I had always been warned to use my real birthday as little as possible, as cyber-crime is on the rise. So, the best solution I found was to use his birthday with my name. It seemed logical at the time anyway. So, it’s just a habit that I somehow kept over the years.
On a related note, I started receiving numerous offers for free items in my email yesterday. One of them said they were wishing me a happy birthday, which I thought was strange because it was not my birthday. Then, I remembered I was still in the habit of using his birthday. (One benefit of it is that I get to hide from my birthday on the correct day!) I forgot that it was my brother’s birthday. For a while, I felt special, ha-ha.
I was reading something the other day that reminded me of how God loves each one of us, regardless of who we are or what we have done. I have a hard time understanding or imagining it, but according to scripture and science, each one of us is wildly special. Scriptures tell us that God knows the number of hairs on our heads. That is no special feat for me, since I don’t have much hair left, but it certainly is for others! Even our DNA shows that we are all very unique at the most basic biological level. The proof is there: you are special. You may not be perfect or better than anyone else, but God made you unique and loves you for who you are.
Never try to be like anyone else. Don’t even worry about trying to be better than anyone else. Just strive to be better than who you were yesterday. As far as God is concerned, I am willing to bet that God could not be more delighted that you are who you are! We will discuss this further in a sermon soon, I hope. Until then, take it easy on yourself and realize that God has found you worthy of God’s love.
Peace,
Pastor Matt