{"id":654,"date":"2019-08-09T21:46:20","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T20:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/?p=654"},"modified":"2019-08-09T21:46:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T20:46:33","slug":"a-birthday-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/a-birthday-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"A Birthday Blessing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The way we celebrate each individual on the day they were\nborn into this world is a beautiful thing. Some of the most magical birthdays I\ncan recall are the early birthdays of my children. When a child is one or two\nyears old there is no past for them to worry over, no future for hopes or fears\nto enter, no anticipation, expectation or disappointment. The overwhelming\nfeeling of wonder for them is enormous. The candles, the gifts, it is all\nreceived in great joy! Then maybe tears\u2026. but great joy again! I guess this is\nthe way God would like birthdays to remain for us all, and how he loves to\nbless us on our special day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, I think that the fallen world and our fallen feelings\nand thoughts tend to ebb away some of this jubilant emotion. If we are honest,\nit is much easier to celebrate other people\u2019s birthdays than it is our own. This\nstarts quite young. Even young children start to feel the slide. Sometimes it\nis a toy that&#8217;s advertised to be the best thing ever that is a let-down or the\nparty girl who sees another friend\u2019s dress to be prettier than hers, or the lad\nwhose friend had a puppy for his birthday. Suddenly the Scalextric is second\nbest! It is not long before comparison kicks in. By our teens it has morphed\ninto self-rejection, and the feeling of not matching up. As we reach adulthood\nit will probably have grown up into a more rounded awareness of one&#8217;s own\nfailings, mixed with a pinch of regret, and a bucket full of anxieties about\nfinance, relationships, health or world affairs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So how do we reclaim the birthday feeling our Abba father\nintended for us? Here are three suggestions that may help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, let\u2019s include Him from the moment we wake, then\ntake time to open our bible and hear His voice in scripture. Allow God your\nFather to fill your mind with hope and truth and light. Do this in the way that\nis most natural for you. Also, remember to take care of yourself! For some of us,\nsometimes the traditions of gathering together with family and friends,\nreceiving gifts, birthday cake and surprises can feel like an onslaught. If this\nis hard for you, focus on how much others like to give to you, and try to enjoy\nit for their sakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, build in something into the day that is a moment just\nfor you. It needs to be tailored uniquely around your preferences, whatever\nthey are \u2013 a walk in the country, playing your favourite song etc. \u2013 a blessing\nthat is just for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, there will always be four loved ones present with\nyou on your birthday, no matter how lonely your circumstances have become. The Father,\nSon and Holy Spirit will be celebrating the day you were born! Open your heart\nup to them. Allow them to guide you and have your own little celebration. The\ntruth is, you are worth celebrating, for you are unique. There will only be one\nof you who walks on the earth and there is a place for you in heaven that only you\ncan fill. That is good news! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a friend or loved one that is about to have a birthday, you might like to consider sending this blessing to them. You can even receive these words for yourself when your special day comes round!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zDDxn0otrsM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the words in this film:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Birthday Blessing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May happiness and love encircle this day,<br>And every blessing from heaven come your way.<br>May the warmth of loved ones lift your heart, <br>And your cup overflow with the love they impart.\u00a0\u00a0   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May fond memories bring you great joy and peace,<br>And hope fill your sails with the promise you seek.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <br>But most of all, may you truly know,<br>How you\u2019re treasured and loved wherever you go. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The way we celebrate each individual on the day they were born into this world is a beautiful thing. Some of the most magical birthdays I can recall are the early birthdays of my children. When a child is one or two years old there is no past for them to worry over, no future <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/a-birthday-blessing\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[7,6,13],"tags":[57,22,11,3],"class_list":["post-654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","category-prayer","category-reflections","tag-birthday","tag-blessing","tag-film","tag-prayer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Happy_Birthday_Blessing_v1.Movie_Snapshot.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bKxI-ay","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":660,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/an-inspirational-blessing-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":0},"title":"An Inspirational Blessing Prayer","date":"September 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi, having spent many years crafting prayers, songs and films for Prayerscapes, it feels like the right time to open up and get closer to those of you who have always responded to our creative offerings. So, in these short films, we will share with you some of our journey,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Films&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"May The Road Rise Up To Meet You","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/May_The_Road_2_600.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":637,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/prayer-for-my-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":1},"title":"Prayer for my Family","date":"June 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Family is the most incredible place to reside, yet it is also the most difficult place to navigate. Living in close fellowship with others always requires us to become more real, more forgiving, more giving and more mature as individuals. There is much to be gained in terms of intimacy,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Films&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Family holding hands walking in a field together","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Prayer_for_my_Family_Blog.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":718,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/how-to-bless-a-house\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":2},"title":"How to Bless A House","date":"October 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"How can I pray for my home? Perhaps you have just moved into a new property and want to give this new chapter of your life to God, or home life is currently very stressful and you would appreciate some ideas on how to pray into this. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=03oFt1ePT6g&feature=youtu.be Our homes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Prayer&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"beautiful home","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/un_home_600.jpg?fit=600%2C399&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/how-to-pray-for-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":3},"title":"How to Pray for Friends","date":"September 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi, today we\u2019re going to be looking at different creative ways that we can pray for our friends and loved ones. If you know someone at the moment that is going through a difficult time you might find these tips especially useful. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLIojy7PfSmO7aEzVZVGwnbrHlDLKawL09 Praying for friends or loved ones is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Films&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Julie Palmer on Prayer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Julie_Palmer_on_Prayer_800.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":330,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":4},"title":"Grace","date":"May 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One thing Jesus must have been very aware of as he walked with his twelve disciples, teaching and ministering to them, was the importance of grace! It was essential that these men understood what was about to be released - the blessing that would follow from the death of their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Prayer&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Pastel Painting of a large sun shining across a lake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/big_sun_600.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":643,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/prayer-for-safe-travel\/","url_meta":{"origin":654,"position":5},"title":"Prayer for Safe Travel","date":"July 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"At this time of year most of us will be planning a trip away or waving friends and family off as they go on their holidays. Travel can be both exciting and unnerving! I have friends who love travelling. The excitement of new horizons, adventure and discovery propel them forwards,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Films&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Beautiful valley with road running down the middle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Prayer_For_Safe_Travel_Blog_800.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}