Celebrate
Prior to fostering our kiddos, I celebrated just about every minor event at our house. Prior to my Leukemia diagnosis we would celebrate events at our house. Now we really celebrate every little event at our house! My awesome wife is surrounded by Enneagram sevens. If you don’t know what that means just imagine being surrounded by three Tiggers at home. Me, my six year old daughter and our golden retriever are always bouncing around looking for the next party. Of course my five year old son isn’t very resistant to partying right along with us. That leaves Whitney (who is a lot of fun in her own right) as the structured one making sure we get everywhere with everything we might need for the day. I’m so thankful for her organization skills.
Our celebrations vary from full blown party with blow-up waterslide to just enjoying the occasional Dr. Pepper or Vanilla Coke for the small victories. As a person who loves to celebrate, I’m fascinated by the celebrations of the Bible. From David’s full blown five alarm fire circus party during the return of the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:14-22) to the rejoicing of the angels when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10), the response is amazing. Maybe it’s my “seven-self” bias but I think we undersell the excitement we should show in this life. It really is a win-win that Paul describes in his “to live is Christ and to die is gain” statement (Philippians 1:18-21). I’m not saying we shouldn’t mourn when the time is right (2 Samuel 6:1-12) but Paul sitting in a jail cell exhorts or as some would put it, directly commands us to rejoice multiple times (Philippians 4:4). Times are tough and we can’t ignore that. It’s not getting any easier but God has equipped us with his Spirit, the Spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7)! It’s the same Spirit that caused John the Baptist to leap within his mother’s womb as Mary approached (Luke 1:41). It’s the same Spirit that was on David when the Ark approached and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). That same Spirit indwells you as a Christian and makes you the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It’s time to celebrate that Spirit! Take 15 minutes and celebrate life today.
Travis