This past weekend we attended the wedding of my nephew--a beautiful family celebration.
We hugged our hellos, we talked, we ate, we laughed, we took photos, we talked some more, we ate some more, we laughed some more, we posed for photos some more. And when it was over, we hugged our good-byes. We celebrated! And we celebrated well.
My extended family knows how to celebrate birthdays as well. Ever since I was a child, our mother never forgot a birthday. Even now, she remembers to send a card, often with money, to her children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. She believes that your loved ones, your closest relationships, are always worth celebrating.
We've been created to celebrate!
The desire to celebrate is part of who we are. Whether we're celebrating big events like a wedding or a birthday or lesser events like getting an A in a class for the first time, or losing 20 pounds, we've been created to celebrate.
In the devotional, Faith That Matters, James Bryan Smith says, "Celebrations help us acknowledge the goodness of God. . . .God loves it when we celebrate his goodness." When an event or accomplishment happens in our lives that's worth celebrating, we are declaring--whether we acknowledge Him or not--God's goodness.
That got me thinking about the one celebration in our lives that really matters--the one that also causes the angels to rejoice (Luke 15:10). Of course, I'm talking about the day we acknowledge our own sin and accept God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ--the day we are redeemed and reconciled with God, our Creator.
Do you celebrate that day?
There was a short-lived time we did celebrate that day with our children. Why did we stop? I don't know. Probably life got in the way and then the exact dates got forgotten. Sad but true.
I'm not sure what that exact date was for me. I do know it was in July the summer I was eight-years-old. It happened at Bible camp, so that's how I know the month.
But really, it's the event that's relevant and the exact date is secondary. It really is the BIGGEST event in our short-lived existence on this earth! In that moment, our lives go from being hopeless to being hopeful. From wallowing in cold, black, darkness to bathing in warm, prismatic light. From being lost to being found.
Worth celebrating? Yes!
Not just once--but every year.
Hmmm. And now my mind is swarming with ideas of how my family can celebrate this well. Maybe with an angel food cake (okay, so now I'm being cheesy).
Do you celebrate this day? If so, how? I'd love to hear your thoughts, your ideas--perhaps the cheesier the better.
Does the exact day of the year matter, if you don't remember? I'm thinking that it doesn't. You choose. Maybe in the winter doldrums of February. Maybe in the heavy heat of the summer. Make it an opportunity to firstly, be creative, and secondly, to CELEBRATE WELL the gift of salvation and eternal life!