Beyond Birthday Celebration

Birthday celebration is today the most common and widely observed celebration. It is warmly marked by people of all ages. Social media has made it both easy and, in a sense, almost compulsory for everyone to take part. Even if you don’t plan anything, your friends, relations, and colleagues on social media platforms will likely celebrate on your behalf with birthday greetings. Everyone enjoys receiving birthday messages and, where available, gifts.

Personally, I have publicly celebrated only two birthdays by inviting friends, relations, and colleagues. The first was on 1 October 2009, and the second on 1 October 2019, when I marked my 70th and 80th birthdays, respectively.

The reason for a birthday celebration is simply that you were born on that day. Indeed, every one of the over 8 billion people in the world today was born on a specific day. Thus, birthdays are a universal celebration.

However, another significant day in a person’s life—perhaps even more important—is the day you discover why you were born. There is a purpose behind every human life. No one is here without a reason. Yet, no one knows at birth what that reason is. It must be discovered. Until that happens, you may not be doing what God created you to do, and therefore, you may not fulfil your destiny. Your relationship with your Creator is crucial because He alone can reveal your purpose.

Sometimes, I think about experienced fishermen such as Peter, James, and John, the sons of Zebedee—who was a fisherman himself. Their encounter with Jesus revealed that fishing was not their life’s ultimate purpose. Think also of Matthew, a tax collector working as a government administrator, before he was called by Jesus.

I believe it brings God joy when someone discovers the reason for their birth. The person who discovers their true purpose will recognise it—there is a distinct joy in such a discovery. It’s like finding a hidden treasure. Until that moment, one remains unsettled, constantly searching.

After graduating in Pharmacy in 1964, I spent the next 15 years searching for God’s purpose for my life. I worked in eight organisations, exploring different roles but finding neither joy nor fulfilment in any. I began as a medical representative, then worked as a retail pharmacist, hospital pharmacist, quality control pharmacist, and later a military pharmacist during the war. After the war, I served as a production manager and eventually as a marketing manager. But in all these positions, I did not discover what I was born to do.

Many people who celebrate their birthdays are still on this journey of discovery. They have yet to uncover their divine assignment. As a result, they cannot find true satisfaction or fulfilment. They may move from one city to another or even from country to country, but the core issue remains unresolved. The day you discover God’s purpose for your life is a day worth celebrating.

The third important day in a person’s life is the day you begin doing what you were born to do. This suggests that some know their divine assignment but are not walking in it. James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” This means the talents, gifts, and abilities God has given you to serve Him in a specific area of life remain either unused or misused.

I believe your service to God truly begins when you start fulfilling the purpose for which you were created. Moses was 80 years old when he stood before Pharaoh to carry out the assignment God gave him.

I always give glory to God for revealing my own assignment—publishing Pharmanews—in December 1978. But my greatest joy came in May 1979, when the first edition of Pharmanews was published.

It is not difficult to discern whether your work is a divine assignment. When it is, you experience joy and fulfilment. You enjoy God’s guidance and direction, and He provides for your needs as you continue in His service. Your divine assignment brings fulfilment—it becomes part of your very life.