Just Ask Chuck E Cheese

Imagine for a moment a Kingdom where a mighty and good king reigns. He is truly the kind of king humans dream of having as a ruler. As time passes, people come to take him for granted. In fact, it comes to a time when even his birthday is ignored. His greatness is dimmed as his special day goes unnoticed.

[Don't get ahead of me here. I have a workplace application from this story. One that puts you a step ahead.]

Many years ago, I would make it a point to find a way to determine a business associate's birthday. And before Outlook, I would put these days on a calendar. Then I used a spreadsheet program and sorted these birthdays by date for easy reference.

I did this for many of my radio coworkers over the years as well. It was a kick to announce them on the air. That way, they got LOTS of recognition. In fact, in a smaller community where I worked, people would call in and tell us someone's birthday and we would share the list a few times during the day.

Sales people are often taught to do this kind of remembrance for clients. When it becomes routine, it loses true value. A generic card with no real message is better than nothing, I suppose, but not by much.

I would encourage you today to take better notice of birthdays. Few days are more special to a person than the day they first showed up on this planet. A quick call, note, email, Facebook salute, or text will brighten their day. And be sure to tell this person in a sentence something special.

Two of my grandsons have birthdays in December. (One of them is tomorrow, December 17th!) Kids' birthdays are a big deal. A VERY BIG DEAL!  Just ask Chuck E Cheese!  

The greatest King to ever live has a birthday we recognize this month. Interestingly, Jesus of Nazareth never asked us to celebrate His birthday. In fact, we don't really know the exact date. We’re almost certain it is NOT December 25th. 

That reality caused me to reflect on how odd it is that the actual day passes every year without any fanfare or notice. Imagine that. The One Person who has impacted humanity the most has a birthday in history that actually goes unnoticed!

Is it a big deal in heaven? Or is "every day with Jesus sweeter than the day before"? Don't know. But my life has been forever altered by His arrival. And I think it’s the most important day in history.

Want to let Jesus of Nazareth know His arrival on this earth really is important? Tell Him. Today. Tomorrow. Every day. No need to bring cake.

Want to let your coworkers, friends, and clients know that they are important? Tell them. At LEAST once a year.

If Jesus were physically present on Earth today, he would be around 2,016 years old. And there’s a lesson here, too. Best not to ask a person’s age on their birthday. Unless they’re a kid. Just ask Chuck E Cheese.

And that’s The Way WE Work. Click on the link to the right to connect via Facebook.