I was recently
reading a dear friend’s blog post that led me to spend ample amounts of time
thinking. Her blog challenged the reader to think of a word that describes,
motivates, or brings you back to reality for the upcoming year. (Take a peek at
applesandbandaidsblog.com) Over the course of two days, I thought of hundreds
of different words and coming up with explanations for plenty, but I kept
coming back to one word. Celebrate: to do something special or enjoyable for an important
event. I mean my first
reaction was 5-year-old birthday party banner and streamers. The more and more
I thought about it and truly got to the heart of the matter, it made so much
sense for such a time in my life.
This
year I’m embarking on a journey unlike any I’ve experienced before. I’m
beginning my last semester of college, I’m working 20+ hours a week, I’m
graduating college, I’m marrying the love of my life, I’m planning a wedding,
I’m applying to graduate school, beyond that I have NO CLUE what else is to
come. This year I can let all those BIG events in my life pile up, cause
stress, and fly by, and bury my joy, OR I could celebrate the milestones.
A
recent sermon I heard at home was talking about the climb and the summit. We all
know about the climb. It’s hard work. It hurts. Your whole body aches, you
can’t breathe, you can’t catch a break, you feel like your suffering like Job
half the time, and the evil one keeps digging and digging at your being. Then,
there’s the summit. For some reason, I forgot about that part. You know, the
part where you can breathe, you can see for miles and miles the BIG picture.
You can smile, take a pause, and just let it go. I busy my life up or go from
climbing one mountain to immediately tackling the next. I forget how important
celebrating the summit it.
The
more I think about it, the more I believe that celebrating the summit is taking
a moment to be thankful for the one who brought you through the climb. It’s
celebrating a God that gave His all and continues to do so no matter how big or
small the events you tackle. I’m reading a book that is highlighting men in the
bible that were encouragers, they didn’t get a whole lot write-up but when they
are mentioned, they rocked it. One of the stories that I kept going back to and
gripped my thoughts was that of Aaron. The story is about the Exodus from
Aaron’s point of view. A major
part of the story is about when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the
Egyptians were washed away right behind them, they celebrated. They just
witnessed God kill the people that owned them and they slaved day after day
for. They were free. So, they celebrated. They sang, they danced, and they
thanked the Father for bringing them out of bondage. Exodus 15 is completely a
song of joy and thanksgiving to the Lord. There are multiple examples in the
bible of rejoicing and celebration.
I
want to celebrate
the summit. There are climbs of all types and celebrations of all types. My
sister got her braces off; we gave a fist bump and popcorn to that. My brother
will graduate high school; we are going to laugh and eat too much cake. My
parents are facing change like a pro; we played nertz. I’m getting married June
27; yeah- I’m so excited I’m telling everyone I know. So for you, you made an A
on a super hard test; do a happy dance. You got into grad school; go out to
dinner. You finally had a good day at work; bake some cookies. You got a job;
call everyone you know and share the joy. Whatever it is, take the time to
revive your thanksgiving and joy before taking on the next challenge.
Life
is worth celebrating because we have a God that gave His Son we can have
salvation, we can have a hope. Let’s celebrate BIG and small.
