I love sending birthday cards and I usually try to include some kind of bible verse for the birthday cards I write, but I have to admit, it isn't always easy to find a good verse for a birthday card. So what is a hip, fun loving, kinda wacky Christian girl to do?
I usually start with a good prayer that includes a lot of gratitude and thanks for both God and the person I am sending the card to. I have discovered that gratitude and humility get me right in line with what God wants for me and often opens up new ways of thinking and feeling about the person I am writing to. (I especially do this when I am sending a card to someone I am not particularly happy with, like a family member I am disappointed with or a boss that might not be on my current list of favorite people.) Afterward, I write down some thoughts and feelings about the person that came up while in prayer. Anything goes - believe me, the more you write here, the more verses for birthday cards will come up for you!
As an example, my mother in law has a birthday in June; right on the summer solstice. A few weeks before I will grab a few of my cards and spend some time thinking of her as I look through the selection I have, then I get down to prayer. Among other things, I thank God for his presence in my life and the work he has done to better me and the relationships I have. I thank him for the gift of life my mother in law gave her son, who is now my husband. I thank him for the relationship I have forged with "mom two" and for the joy and exuberance she has for living life. Then I spend some time writing about "mom two": words that come to mind are bright, joyful, happy, energetic, ascendant, passionate, loving, active, avid, athletic, colorful, excited. I don't stop there, I try to come up with at least 25 things that describe the recipient of the card I am sending. I try to cover both the good and not so good thoughts as I might be able to find some encouraging or meaningful verses. (Remember, this list is for your eyes only) This may seem like a lot of work for one card, but you can save these lists and use them again and again for any occasion for correspondence; plus, they make great prayer reminders.
Now comes the fun part! (I thank God for computers and the internet every day.) To find verses for birthday cards, go to an online bible reference. I like www.BibleGateway.com. Type in one or two of your descriptive words and see what comes up. Don't worry if specific verses don't come up, you can also use the topic index or results from other sites referenced on the results. I typed in "joyful" and "energetic" for my mother in law. There were no verses that contained both of those words, however the topical index gave the following results: 1. HEART » RENEWED » Be joyful (1 Samuel 2:1; Psalms 4:7;97:11; Isaiah 65:14; Zechariah 10:7) When I clicked on that link, I found a perfect verse for birthday cards, especially when in the Contemporary English translation of the bible:
Psalm 4:7
You brought me more happiness than a rich harvest of grain and grapes.
I believe the best part of looking for verses for birthday cards is the time you get to spend in prayer with God, being truly grateful and thankful for him and the people he has placed in your life. This process has changed my relationships greatly, they are much more Christ centered; free of resentments and jealousy. I know that approaching the search for verses for birthday cards this way will bless you in ways you never imagined... prayer always does that!
Good luck and have fun finding verses for birthday cards!
Comments
Post has no comments.