Last week, I talked about how I’m learning to celebrate the little things. This week, I want to talk about how to take the whole idea of celebration one step further.
At the beginning of this change in me, I just made the decision that I wanted to change the way I’d been living. I started out doing this as a conscious decision (through faith) but not really realizing the role of the Holy Spirit in all of this.
So what is the role of the Holy Spirit in living a life of celebration?
#1: The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the power to do what he has called us to do.
#2: Evidence of the Holy Spirit in my our lives includes Songs, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.
Ephesians 5:19 (NLT) “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,”
I’m sure you’ve all had times when you are in the middle of chores and you suddenly realize you are singing or whistling. You probably didn’t consciously start doing it, but it just came from the depths of your heart. I truly believe that is the Joy that comes from Jesus alone.
#3: Evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives also includes an attitude of thanksgiving.
I’m sure we’ve all been around those people who never have anything good to say. I know that I’ve also been that person myself. However, when we surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus, I believe that we can walk with an attitude of gratitude.
#4: We can pray ourselves happy, just like David did.
1 Samuel 30: 6 (NLT) “David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.”
So how is the celebration going for me?
It isn’t always easy. Recently, I really struggled when one of my children got offended at me over what I thought was a gentle teaching moment. My kid didn’t see it as such. However, once we got through that, I was able to remember that we had a wonderful day together even though we had the one bad moment.
8 Little Ways I’m Celebrating
#1: God showed me how he makes people differently through the toilet paper in the bathroom at church. I always put the toilet paper on the holder one way and it kind of drives me batty when people do it the other way. I *may* have been known to change it in the past. This time, I left it this way and I felt positively excited that the different people in the world are all a part of God’s plan.
I encourage you to seek to celebrate the differences not only in your family members but also in the lives of everyone around you.
#2: I had fun lingering and indulging my children in their first trip to Ikea. We spent tons of time in indulging there and it included zero rushing or worrying about what time I did.
For me, I’ve been known to rush through every experience because there is always so much to do. If you are like me, I encourage you to just take the time to slow down and linger a little more.
#3: I’ve been indulging my love of decorating things in my house again. For a long time, I hadn’t done it because I don’t have time.
I encourage you to find that thing that you love doing and do it again. It makes me so happy and excited to enjoy something that I enjoy so much.
#4: I went shopping to a local craft sale with my girls. It was so fun!
I encourage you to take the time to do things with your children that they enjoy and will create memories.
#5: I have been taking the time to laugh even when I don’t feel like laughing, especially at the jokes that my children like to tell.
For a long time, I actually thought that nothing was funny. It was a tough place to be, but since I’m making the conscious effort to laugh, I’m finding a lot more things funny.
Proverbs 17:22 (KJV) “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”
I encourage you to laugh. Watch funny cat videos, find a Christian Comedian or just laugh with your kids.
#6: I took the time to go visiting. I’m realizing that the importance of real-life relationships is so much more important than all the work I need to do.
#7: Dancing for fun in the kitchen even when I don’t exactly feel like it.
It’s so much fun to make up crazy dances and getting the kids to join in. It really does change the atmosphere in our home.
#8: Taking the time to make a special snack for my children.
Instead of just throwing a normal snack on the table, I actually took the time to prepare s’more stuff for my kid and wrapped it up and up it in a box on the table. They thought it was so much fun!
Obviously, we are all different but these are 8 of the little ways I’ve been celebrating. They aren’t huge, but I am absolutely certain that this has been changing my entire perspective on life.
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Photo Credit: Cindy@Go Gather Grow
