- How can I incorporate more celebrations in the everyday rhythms of my life to be mindful of God?
- What sets apart the special and sacred in my life?
- Do I have any turning points to celebrate? Does my spouse or child?
- What makes it feel like celebration?
- What are my children learning from my example about how to celebrate? Does it turn their minds to God?
Divine Connection: For bone-weary Burb Moms who need to recollect themselves and reconnect with the Divine.
Who knew spiritual discipline could be fun? This week’s encouragement is to Celebrate!
My son was moved into the hardest math class a few months ago. It didn’t help that the class was with his least favorite teacher. (He thinks she’s mean.) He asked us to intervene and argue for the lower class. It was difficult to watch his struggle and daily sufferings even though we knew it was in his best interest. When he got a 100% on his test last week, we took him out to buy a toy to celebrate. Every time he sees the toy he recalls his grade, our adulation and the fact that his mean old teacher who has it in for him (his words, not mine) had to say, “Good job.”
It is human nature to mark the good and bad of life with ceremony. These are our sacred moments. We mark the moment in our memory so that it is itself memorable, and we mark it as a time to remember…to call to mind the challenges, the blessings, the actions and intentions that led to this moment. Sometimes they allow us to see the same event that marks an end, also marks a new beginning. And that, my friends, is reason to celebrate!
This week the Jewish faith celebrates Passover and the Christian faith celebrates Easter. Both are occasions to witness the razor thin line between darkness and light. I decided to read about the Passover this week and a line of scripture stood out to me I hadn’t seen before,”…About midnight I will go out through Egypt.” (Exodus 11:4) I love the note in The Meeting God Bible about this verse: “The standoff between Moses and Pharoah is coming to a climax. The hour is set: midnight is a turning point. This story invites us to see the Midnight hour as a symbol both of death and liberation.” Then God tells them, “This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You chall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord.” (Exodus 12:14)
I love that God told them ahead of time that this would be a time of remembrance and celebration, because I don’t know that I would have felt like celebrating. I bet they didn’t either yet they did celebrate, because God told them to. When our lives become hectic or uncertain, our inclination is to put our celebrations on hold. But maybe when we choose to celebrate even in the midst of darkness and uncertainty, it is a way we make a Divine Connection.
Here are some things to consider as you are mindful of God through celebration this week: (you can use these as journaling prompts)
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