Today at 65

We all often celebrate life. When a baby is born, we are joyful. When someone new comes into our life we respect and love we are joyful. The friends we have when they experience good things, we are joyful and want to share in their experience. Each year that passes makes everyone around the world one year older. Each year around the world many continue to be born.

There are roughly 140 million babies born each year. And each year there are roughly 80 million deaths. When do you make known to people who you are? At your birth or your death? Each day many people around the world commemorate the day when they are born. Every year they are alive they observe that day. But each year that passes do they reflect on who they are? What do they do to be remembered and their life celebrated when they die?

Do we reflect on the name we are making in life? The things we do to be remembered when we die. There is an ancient text that a wise king was inspired to write that says

?“A good name is better than good oil, and the day of death is better than the day of birth”

A good name of course is the reputation we make. The oil was used in ancient times as a soothing device to comfort. So, is our name better than the soothing oil to refresh others?

So, when we are born, we have no reputation or name as it were. Each day that passes and the way we live it builds to what reputation we are leaving behind. Part of having a reputation is in what we do for good and what we do for wrong. At the end of the day, what have we done?

Many years ago, I had the realization that the celebration of my day of birth has no significance, what is significant is what kind of name I am making in how I treat others, the good I do to help people, and how God views me.?

So, this day, as I receive gracious good wishes from many, I appreciate the sentiment. But for me, the annual commemoration is something I gave up years ago.