A Birthday Remembered

   “Don’t you have a home to go to?” inquired the security officer gently, “it’s almost midnight”.

   “I know”, Ursula replied, “but I wanted to make sure I had followed the instructions I was given to the letter”.

   “Try not to be anxious about anything. Instead, through prayer and petition with grateful thanks give your requests over to God”.

   “I know – you’re right. I must trust in God with all my heart and not look to my own ways. If I acknowledge Him in everything I do, He will show me the way He wants me to go”.

   “That said, can I be of any help when my shift ends in a few minutes?”

   “Thank you. If you really wanted to, you could give me an idea for a gift to give to a late night flight crew; something inexpensive I could repeat all the time, but thoughtful and caring as well; something simple and fun that they will talk about”.

   “I’ll return in just a moment”. When he did, the security officer handed Ursula a bar of chocolate.

   “Today is my birthday and tomorrow I retire; in all my twenty year’s of service my special day has never once been acknowledged, while in the company where my brother works, everyone gets a paid day off on their birthday. At the end of each birthday, if I was working, I would buy myself one of these bars of chocolate from the vending machine and tell myself it came from the company which it did in a way, didn’t it? You will note this particular bar is high in chocolate, low in fat and has a six-month shelf life. Who wouldn’t be pleased to be given such a simple, thoughtful and delicious little gift?”

   “What a splendid idea”, enthused Ursula, adding that, with fewer flights at night, there would be time for her to look up each crew member’s birthday before the briefing she gave to the crews prior to departure.

   “Of course, not everyone will have a birthday on the actual day of their flight”, continued the security officer, “but some will be close enough and, anyway, news of such recognition will travel fast. I’m sure the gesture will be appreciated way beyond the cost of a simple bar of chocolate”.

   “That’s exactly what I’ll do”, exclaimed Ursula, “thank you so much. You know, I still find it hard to understand why there’s never previously been any briefing at all for late night crews. I’m told there have been a number of attempts to establish such a schedule but never with any success. That’s why I’ve volunteered for a new shift from 3 PM to 11:30 PM. I’m hoping the crews will be pleased to have a briefing supervisor present for the first time: if I then bring out a bar of chocolate…another thought is that many crew members won’t have flown together before so this little gesture really could give them something to talk about, couldn’t it?”

   “Yes, and speaking of something to talk about, it’s time you called it a day and I checked out at the end of my shift. For our newest and perhaps youngest member of staff you’re setting a fine, conscientious example but we all need our beauty sleep, me especially”.

   “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll pack up my things and leave with you right now”.

   As they walked together through the building, Ursula remarked to the security officer that, at a recent Bible study, she had been told about a man called Saul whom God had made king over Israel. At first, Saul couldn’t understand this because he was from the smallest tribe of Israel while his clan was the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Later, although given explicit instructions to destroy every last one of the enemy in battle, Saul did not do so. This grieved the Lord that He had made Saul King of Israel.

   “So, while I may be the newest and perhaps youngest member of staff”, continued Ursula, “God may still require great things of me. And you can be sure I will always try to set a fine, conscientious example in everything I do - never, ever, intentionally disobeying what I believe to be His will. Assuredly, I will do my very best to keep my conscience clear before both God and every last one of all His people. Then will He keep me wholly at peace because my mind is set on Him alone and because He knows I trust in Him”.

   The new briefing schedule was warmly welcomed when Ursula outlined it the following afternoon. She said nothing about giving out a bar of chocolate in recognition of a crewmember’s birthday but could hardly wait to put the idea into practice. It was to prove a great success.

   Before her evening briefings, Ursula made sure she had time to attend the retirement function put on by the company for the security officer. She was pleased to see it was quite a grand affair with the guest of honor being invited to choose a watch for himself from the catalog of a well-known brand.

   Ursula positioned herself to be the last to pay tribute to the retiree. Standing respectfully beside him, she explained to the gathering why she was presenting him with a simple bar of chocolate.

   Right on cue, the immaculately attired, nineteen strong crew of an international flight entered the hall. With nineteen pairs of eyes fixed firmly upon her, Ursula asked, “Who had a birthday yesterday?” Nobody said a word.

   Taking a bar of chocolate from her pocket, she paraded before the crew, extolling the virtues of her little gift, high in chocolate, low in fat and with a six-month shelf life. Still nobody said a word.

   Completing her parade, the crew fell in behind her and one by one drew from their pockets an identical bar of chocolate which they handed to the security officer in turn, one for each of his twenty year’s of service.

For further reading: Philippians 4:6; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Samuel 9:21, 15:3, 34; Acts 24:16; Isaiah 26:3