Do you celebrate your own birthday? Or as my friend says: "What are you doing on your birthday--for you?"

She asks me that every year. Still, the question always catches me off guard. What am I doing? For myself?

In the Christian life, which focuses so often on our outreach to others, it can seem un-Christian to schedule a reward for ourselves. Like a day off. A dinner out. A short walk. A long nap. A renewing vacation. A little pep talk. A fresh reminder that God loves us all. A lot.

Indeed, if I think about it hard enough, I could contrive a way to take a break from helping others--to take time to also help myself. The Bible lets us know such self-care and kindness is not only okay, but pleasing unto God.

Some of my favorite Biblical moments of Jesus are those times when He was doing just that--taking a nap on a boat, fixing breakfast for His friends, reclining at dinner, taking a walk in the mountains by Himself.

What was He doing?

Restoring Himself. Renewing Himself. Reviving Himself. Then He gave that much more to others--not to mention to the world.

Such actions remind us that it's perfectly okay with God if we value ourselves enough to give ourselves the gift of kindness. But such a gift doesn't have to cost money.

Instead, the cost for such a reward can be the simple act of being more gentle with ourselves.

Less blame. More acceptance.

Then remember to pay it forward.

That's not easy for everybody. As Bible scholar Dwight L. Moody observed, "I have had more trouble with myself that with any other man."

So we let God help. He does the heavy lifting of love. Then we prevail.

"Those who are kind benefit themselves," says the writer of Proverbs 11:17. That's in contrast to cruel people who, according to that verse, "bring ruin on themselves."

In this age of the Internet--or the Angernet as some now call it--such a reminder seems right and timely.

The choice seems simple, to be sure. On this day, choose an act of kindness. Starting with yourself. But don't stop there.

Pass it on.

Patricia Raybon, a Christy Award-winning essayist and novelist, is a regular contributor at Our Daily Bread Ministries and writes the intriguing Annalee Spain Mystery series about a young theologian solving mysteries and curious crime during Colorado's 1920s Klan era.  Discover more HERE.

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