“Celebrate Good Times, Come on!”
Kool and the Gang
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that hit song from the 1980’s. The minute I hear the opening guitar line, I know what’s coming. It’s infectious. It makes you want to move. It makes you smile! It’s just a fun song.
Oh, if celebration in our everyday life was that easy. We just click a switch, turn on the right song, and change our mood and our situation.
We all know it doesn’t work quite that way. As Leah wrote about last week, we can’t convince ourselves to feel joy on our own. But the Good News is God does the work for us. He does the filling of joy in our lives when choose to go to Him and open our hearts to allow Him to do it.
Let me be honest, celebration is a big thing for me. I love parties. I love to have fun. I love to celebrate birthdays and milestones and goals accomplished.
The verse we discussed in our Choose Chat this week was Philippians 4:4 (TPT) which reads:
“Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow!”
It’s easy to celebrate when things are going just the way we want them to, but what about the part that says “in every season of life”? How do we celebrate during the tough spots?
The Christmas season, full of parties and gatherings and gift buying, seems to demand celebration. And I love it. But what if we’re going through a hard time right now and the celebrations happening around us feel like someone is pouring salt on our wounds?
I've learned over the years that when I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious and feel like I have nothing in the world to celebrate, I need to make it really simple. When I break it down to the basics of life, I can celebrate the air in my lungs, the roof over my head, the friends who speak life over me, a family I treasure. And most of all, the deep, deep love of my Heavenly Father that passes all understanding.
I’m not talking about being phony and ignoring or pushing down our feelings. That’s not healthy. But I do believe we can make the conscious decision to take a break from all our problems and find something to celebrate. This verse gives us something we can celebrate every single day of our lives:
So celebrate the goodness of God! He shows this kindness to everyone who is his. Go ahead—shout for joy, all you upright ones who want to please him!
Psalm 32:11 (TPT)
This simple truth never ever changes: God is good and He is kind!
He showed us the depth of His love by sending His one and only Son to earth on that first Christmas. That is definitely the cause of great celebration!
As you go to all the celebrations of this busy Christmas season, I hope you have fun. And if you’re in a tough spot right now, I pray the joy of this season will be a balm to your weary spirit. I pray you will choose to stay close to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with more and more peace, joy, love and hope, trusting that it will be done.
And if you just need a little pick-me-up and a break from all the Christmas carols, google Celebration by Kool and the Gang and rock out right there in your living room! Get your groove on and dance like no one’s watching! Just imagine you’re dancing with the angels as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Now that’s something every single one of us can celebrate!
Hugs and love,
Jill