Celebrating a Child’s Salvation Birthday

Looking for meaningful ways to celebrate your child’s salvation birthday? In this encouraging, mom-to-mom conversation, Heidi and Melanie share simple, Christ-centered ideas to help your family remember and honor the day your child chose to follow Jesus.

You’ll learn why celebrating salvation is biblical, how to keep the focus on God (not the party or child), and practical ways to create lasting memories—like sharing their salvation story, praying over them, and recognizing spiritual growth. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to mark this special milestone without making it complicated, this episode will give you the confidence you need.

Helpful Links from this Episode:

• Salvation Certificates & Posters
• What is Salvation?
• The Sanctification Process
• Ideas for Simple Gifts

Episode Sponsor:  ABCJesusLovesMe.com, an educational ministry that equips adults with the materials needed to be intentional in educating children.

Get connected with Parenting to Impress:
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Thanks for listening!

Transcript

A Listener Asks About Salvation Day

Heidi Franz, Host 0:00

Melanie, we received this fan mail text with a fantastic question. Here it is: "My son's salvation day is coming up next week, and it will mark his first year of confessing his faith in Christ. What is a good way to celebrate? We just celebrated birthdays and Christmas most recently, and now I want to do something special." And that is exactly what we're going to cover today in the podcast.

Why We Celebrate Salvation

Heidi Franz, Host 0:26

Welcome back to Parenting to Impress, your go-to podcast to learn practical ways to love God and love others, and impress this on the hearts of your children. I am your host, Heidi Franz, and I'm joined by my dear friend Melanie Shuster. Two moms who have made a lot of mistakes, but have found grace and truth along the way. Melanie, I love this question because it immediately brings to mind the name Susan Sassaman. A lot of who I am today is because of Susan Sassaman. She was my pastor's wife growing up, and she loved Jesus. Susan Sassaman would always give us a note and something small on our birthdays of salvation. I was saved at a very young age before Susan and her husband were pastors at our church. I did not know the exact date that I was saved. So we'd choose a date for us and celebrate that date. And with the letter that she would write, she always included something small. And a lot of times it was a little sticker. Something for us to remember that charge that she gave us for that year. I love this question because of the memories that it brings. But before we go any deeper into it, let's back up just a little bit. Melanie, why celebrate salvation? You know, we celebrate birthdays, we celebrate holidays, but is that even biblical? What are your thoughts?

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 2:03

I would say that salvation should be something that we should be celebrating above all the other things. And what I mean by that is like birthdays and anniversaries and stuff, because that is the day that changes your life.

Heidi Franz, Host 2:14

Yeah, the day the person begins to have a relationship with Jesus.

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 2:18

Yes. I think that it is a beautiful idea to have a point of remembrance. And that, I will say, is biblical: Remembering. I am deep in the throes of Deuteronomy right now, and it is always "remember, don't forget, don't forget, remember," And so it's a beautiful way to remember the moment in time when your life was forever changed.

Heidi Franz, Host 2:42

Luke 15: 10 says, "There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Heaven celebrates salvation. So it makes sense for us to celebrate. I think celebration reinforces that faith is important. It is an opportunity for us to look and see what God has done in that child's life and celebrate that growth. And it's focusing on what God's doing. It's not focusing on the child. A birthday, we celebrate that child. A salvation celebration is focused on God.

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 3:23

Heidi, in the course of my friendship with you and getting to be a part of ABCJesusLovesMe, you actually came up with something to help people celebrate Salvation Day.

Heidi Franz, Host 3:36

I have several different, what I call, salvation posters. These are 100% free on the ABCJesusLovesMe.com website, and we'll put a link in the show notes as well. When your child is saved, pick out a poster that best represents them. Some of them have a place to put a picture. And I encourage you to print these off, write the date that the child said, "Yes, I want Jesus to be Lord of my life." Post that in your home and then celebrate it each year. And on that same page are several ideas of how to celebrate it. Maybe you have brownies. And around the table that night, you talk about what fruit you see growing in that child. Do you see that child wanting to share the gospel with others? Do you see that child desiring to be more patient or kind? Does that child have joy in their heart? Where do you see that sanctification, which we talked about in a couple episodes ago... Where do you see that sanctification happening and give that glory to God?

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 4:48

I think salvation celebrations are a great time to rehearse the story of how that came to pass. My kids love to hear what was happening when they said they wanted to follow Jesus. "How old was I," or "What did I say?" And let them hear that story, especially when they're young when they're saved.

Heidi Franz, Host 5:07

I don't remember my salvation moment. And I think it's also important for people around you to be calling that out, the growth that they see, and then to have a moment of prayer, to pray over that child, praying for the growth to continue, the sanctification process, praying for that child to have wisdom, to have courage, to share with other people about God and what God is doing in their life.

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 5:36

Even asking the child, "What did you learn about Jesus this year? What's something different that you have come to know about God?" It's always so interesting to hear from their perspective.

Heidi Franz, Host 5:47

I just want to say again, we are not suggesting this great big party with favors and invitations. This is not about the child. This is about what God is doing in that child's life. I had a friend who every year, she and her husband would write short letters to the child about the growth that they're seeing, for the child to be able to come back to as meaningful keep sake letters.

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 6:18

There have been seasons where, for our daughter, we got a cross necklace, or they got a new Bible or a devotional or a new journal and a pen, something that would foster their relationship with the Lord. In our household, these days have gone by uncelebrated. But we do have pictures, and I think that all goes just to remind them of their story, and that God is creating this beautiful story in their lives that started the moment they made a choice for Christ.

Heidi Franz, Host 6:46

Salvation is not the finish line, but it's a starting line for a lifelong walk with Jesus. Our role as parents changes a little bit when they become a Christian because they're no longer just our child. They're now our brother or sister in Christ. And we're coming alongside them as believers who are growing, who are seeking and desiring for God to change our lives. As you think about celebrating a salvation day, I want to remind you that it doesn't need to be elaborate. An opportunity of remembrance. So looking forward that God loves the child enough to pursue their heart. And that is something that's worth celebrating.

Melanie Shuster, Co-Host 7:36

Amen.

Announcer 7:37

We want to thank you for listening to the Parenting to Impress podcast. Be sure to visit ABCJesusLovesMe.com and check out the show notes for more information on topics shared in this episode. Please subscribe and share with your friends.