It is so incredibly easy to get discouraged. When bad things happen we often lose sleep. Thoughts of whatever is going wrong, or might potentially go wrong, in our lives are in our minds day and night. We devote hours, days, months, or even years to the negative things in our lives.

Do we do the same thing with the positive parts of our life?

When something good happens in our lives, do we devote as much time, energy, and mental space to them as we do the negativity? I know I don’t. I spend way too much time thinking and worrying about the future, or regretting the past. I often forget to celebrate the present.

However, that is not at all how Jesus lived. It seems like he was constantly celebrating something. He broke bread and feasted everywhere he went. What I love even more is that so many of the parables that Jesus told ended with a party. For instance, when Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15) the father (God) does not focus on all of the mistakes of the son, instead he simply celebrates the fact that his son is home and throws a blow-out party. The same is true in other parables (the lost coin and the lost sheep).

As legalistic as we like to get as Christians, Jesus was absolutely the opposite. He was not condemning of the mistakes of his followers, although he also didn’t condone their actions. What he did do though, was celebrate. He called down a tax collector from a tree (Zacchaeus, see Luke 19) and feasted at his house. He never said a word about Zaccheaus’ crooked business dealings, all he did was celebrate and love him exactly where he was. But, that unconditional love was enough to change Zaccheaus.

I think we would do well to be more like Jesus, even in the way we celebrate. We don’t have to wait until a holiday, birthday, or major event to celebrate. How about having a little more excitement for the little things. When you get that promotion at work, have a party. When your kid learns something new, go out for ice cream. When your coworker has something awesome happen don’t just pat them on the back and go on about your day, throw them a surprise party or take them to lunch. On a random Tuesday, do something to celebrate being alive for another day. We all need to celebrate more.

July 23 is my birthday. My goal this year is to do just that. I want to celebrate not only the big things, but also the small things in life. I don’t want to look past what amazing thing is happening today because I am too busy regretting the past or fretting about the future. I want to be more attentive to what is going on in the lives of others around me, and I want to have more feasts and get togethers like Jesus did. I don’t want to spend life living in the “someday”. Rather, I want to live in today.

May year 33 be the best one yet!!!