Life is precious in God’s eyes. Consequently, we must come to the realization that the life that God gives us is something to be treasured. Something to celebrate. A gift from the Almighty God.
In the past days, we have seen disturbing incidents, increasing unrest and violent cessation of life. All of which causes angst among the populace of the world. Grief and sadness fill our minds as the darkness from a myriad of hearts is revealed and the joy of living has become a thing unknown.
Consequently, I want to provide a brighter outlook on life than what we are currently glimpsing. An aspect of how God wants us to live.
A Reason to Celebrate
The man whom God gifted with wisdom, proclaims that the enjoyment of the ordinary moments in life, such as eating, drinking and working should be rejoiced in. The reason for this proclamation was that “it is a gift of God.” Furthermore, Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit states it this way,
“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee and unto thine house…”
Deuteronomy 26:1
God’s giving of life is a reason to celebrate. In fact, God provides us an example of rejoicing even in the work that is done.
Celebration from the Beginning of Time
We can travel back to the beginning of time and find that as God completed each day of creation, He looked upon it and declared it good. He rejoiced in His work. With joy He created Man. God rejoiced and celebrated the man, who was created in His image. We, as His image-bearers, need to live with a rejoicing and celebrating attitude because of the gift of life that God has given to us.
When sin entered into the world, God considered man’s life precious enough to sacrifice His only Son. All heaven rejoiced when Jesus came to this earth in preparation for the redemption of mankind. One of God’s greatest joys is found in a relationship with the apex of His creation. Namely, mankind. God celebrates us and rejoices over us.
As we move through the Biblical narrative, we find that God put into practice a variety of celebrations. The Israelites celebrated various aspects of every day living through the celebrations and feasts that God laid out for them. From these accounts, we can understand that God perceives life as something to be celebrated. Especially when lived within the parameters that God has set down for us.
We recognize celebrations carried out in our own lives through engagements, anniversaries, birthdays and other never-to-be-forgotten moments. There is rejoicing when a new life is brought into the world. Furthermore, we have a celebration of life, when a loved one crosses into eternity. We mark days that are worthy of celebrating.
On the other hand, all of life is to be treasured. The momentous days, as well as the ordinary days are to be celebrated. Our lives are to be lived giving glory to our Creator. Within that boundary is where we gain a deeper realization that life is worth commemorating.
Celebrate the Ordinary
When my children were younger, I often found myself saving the ‘good’ china, the goblets, the tablecloths for when my children grew up. To my mind, this meant times of accidental breakage and everyday wear and tear would not be so prevalent. Consequently, in that context, they were rarely used. After further contemplation of that idea, I realized that saving it for later, did not do justice to celebrating ordinary days.
Weekly and sometimes daily, I began to use the tablecloths, the special china, the goblets, as well as various other aspects of celebratory living. I wanted my children to realize that they were worth celebrating. That I entrusted them with the use of those special items, because they were of more value than an inanimate object. When something invariably broke, I worked to remind myself that it was just an object. Yes, it may have held sentimental value, but my child had a far greater worth. As I cleaned up shards of glass, or glued together broken cookie jars, I celebrated the boys and girls God entrusted me with.
This led me down the path of becoming a seeker of good. A direction that had me searching for something to be thankful for, in all things, as the Scriptures give us heed. Consequently, I found that life can be celebrated in the ordinary, as well as in the monotonous routines and in the things that are commonly taken for granted.
As we enumerate with thankfulness, the gifts we discern in our day to day lives we can become more in tune with rejoicing in all things and not just in the momentous occasions.
The Enjoyment of Life
God has created a fullness in life that we are to encapsulate. We, as the image-bearers of God, must seek to express the fullness that we find in God. One way to do this is to find enjoyment in the life that God has given us.
“…trust…in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”
1 Timothy 6:17
There is much to enjoy in life. From the blossoming tomato plants to the delicate petals of a small flower. The giggles of a baby, coffee at sunrise, the velvety paws of a kitten and the list goes on and on. God wants us to enjoy the life He has gifted us with.
The enjoyment of life grows as we learn to place our trust in the Author of Life. The God who holds the universe in place, is the same God who created the details of the wildflower.
This selfsame God is not deaf to your cries, nor blind to whatever plight you may be facing. It is in the trusting of our Creator that we find the ability to celebrate life abundantly through sunshine, as well as through the rain.
God-Breathed Life
Not only are we to celebrate the life that we live, but we are to celebrate the life found in each God-breathed created. The very God of the universe celebrates you, as one created in His image. Sin brought about a deep scarring of that image. Only God can bring back the beauty of Himself into the lives that have become replete with the ashes of sin.
God has provided redemption and forgiveness for the sin that has brought about death and destruction in the hearts of mankind. He extends the gift of eternal life to each and every person, race and nation. Forgiveness and pardon are available for the one who repents of the sin in their life.
The Path to Celebration
Take a step back from the news of riots, protests, hatred and strife. Re-center yourself with time spent in the Presence of the Almighty. Find forgiveness, if need be, for the sins in your life. Re-orient your heart to a life that is God-centered. Let God bring redemption to the broken pieces brought about by hatred and dissent.
It is only when we have the fullness of God within us, and His image once again stamped upon our hearts that we can properly honor this gift of life. Celebrate the life you have been gifted and live out a life giving glory to God in all things.
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