Let’s celebrate

Let’s Celebrate

This past weekend we drove down to Chesapeake to celebrate our grandson Caleb’s sixth birthday. We arrived into town very late Friday evening so we planned to sleep in, unfortunately for my daughter that was not what her three children had in mind. They were up early anticipating the day and the birthday memories we were going to share together. Caleb especially was looking forward to being the center of attention and the other two were ready for the festivities to begin.

Everyone enjoys celebrations. Christians celebrate Jesus birth with Christmas and His Resurrection at Easter. We celebrateIndependence Day with fireworks and parades on the 4th of July and no other nation that I know of celebrates Thanksgiving. There are deep underlying needs that drive us to engage in celebrations. As a result, we have found so many wonderful ways to meet these needs and create more meaning in our lives.

There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMP

We see that celebrations were both commanded and practiced throughout the Bible. My favorite is found in Nehemiah 12. The building of the wall was complete and the Israelites dedicated the wall, and then had a great celebration. It was never God’s will for us to work hard and never enjoy the fruit of our labor (Ecclesiastes 8:15-16). Jesus came so that we may have a more and better life than we ever dreamed of (see John 10:10). This abundant life includes celebrating individuals, anniversaries, holidays, and special moments.

There are numerous benefits to taking time to celebrate with family and friends. Here are just a few to consider:

Creates community:

Coming together with family and friends during special occasions, helps us to connect on a deeper level.

Creates memories:

Our emotions connect much like a bookmark to these special occasions from our past.

Creates excitement:

It changes up our day-to-day work routine and gives us an opportunity to engage in laughter and fun.

Creates traditions:

It helps us build connection when we share traditions past down from generation to generation.

Make time to celebrate. Consider getting together with your family and friends during the 4th of July festivities, and take a moment to reflect on God’s blessing of liberty and freedom we share in America.

This August is our annual birthday celebration, where we celebrate everyone’s birthday, so save the date now and register at www.cindydennis.org to reserve your free ticket.

Blessings, Cindy

Pursue God’s peace

This past weekend, my husband Pat had to teach a course in New Jersey. We thought by leaving around 1 p.m. from Alexandria, Virginia on Friday afternoon, we should easily make it in time for the 6 p.m.

course. We knew there would be some weekend traffic so we planned accordingly. We figured the two and half hour trip might take four hours and we should still make it by the 6 p.m. start time, but that was not the case. We experiencedtraffic ALL the way to New Jersey. No matter what lane he was in, Pat did not make any headway. We both battled with being agitated by the long drive and frustrated by the lack of progress.

It became apparent after three hours inour travels; we would not make it in time. It ended up taking us almost six hours to reach our destination and ultimately the class was cancelled that evening because of it. Our journey could have been much more enjoyable had we chose to pursue peace and not focus on the challenges along the way.

All of us at one time or another will experience frustration and aggravation in our life’s pursuits. Maybe it means waiting patiently on the timing of our dreams to be fulfilledor our secret petitions to be answered. Whatever situation we find ourselves in our journey in life, God wants us to stop allowing ourselves to be agitated and disturb along the way. These feelings of frustration won’t change our circumstances or cause the outcome to come to pass more quickly.

Peace I leave with you: My [own] peace I now give…to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]—John 14:27 AMPC

When we stop allowing ourselves to be agitated and disturbed, we permit God’s peace that passes all understanding, to calm us in every circumstance and give us courage and strength for every challenge. We have the responsibility to not to be pulled in different directions or be concerned about the outcome. When we give God our concerns, we allow His peace to keep our thoughts and our hearts quiet even in the midst of frustrating times. We are then able to trust that He will cause everything to work together for good (see Romans 8:28).

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.—Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

There will be traffic jams that will delay our journey and accidents that will tempt us to go no further and quit. We won't stay in peace for long if we're not doing much to pursue it. It is up to us to not allow our hearts to be agitated and fearful (see 1 Peter 3:11).

Enjoy the journey and remain peaceful even when you feeltroubled and afraid. Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it!—Psalm 34:14 AMPCBlessings, Cindy

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