In a conversation between several friends about accountability, one friend said, “We need to share three points of thanksgiving and celebration each day, even if a particularly bad day results in the most trivial and mundane thankful points you can imagine.”
Both families involved had been struggling with the weight of their circumstances, and each knew the other was a safe sounding board for the mounting frustrations. But, they also knew they could feed each other’s frustration by only sharing the burdens. They had to share the joys, too, even if the thanksgiving amounted to the praise that everyone had made it out of the day alive.
In fact, sometimes it is the smallest of praises that lift us up the most.
Every Day Celebrations
In the past, I have laughed at the strange “holidays” that tend to pop up on social media all of the time. National Chocolate Day. National Doughnut Day. Pi Day. And on and on. If we observed every one of them, I have a feeling we would be approximately the size of blimps from all of the food! I think the idea behind these insignificant little holidays might offer a good lesson for us, though, in that we are reminded to appreciate and celebrate even the things that may seem insignificant.
For instance, I love airplanes. I marvel at the miracle that is flight, and I love to watch planes take off and land. In our day and age, flight is something we take for granted. Yet, stopping to marvel at the way those huge pieces of machinery lift from the ground with seeming ease is one way we can celebrate the knowledge God has granted us.
Similar miracles occur in our own homes every single day. The marvels of nature explode in our yards. The communication of our children reflects the miracle of the human brain. A snuggle lifts our spirits. A tear washes out the soul. Seemingly insignificant things reveal God’s work all around us.
How about a celebration today, my friend? Let’s find three little things we can rejoice in and turn them into a big deal. We’ll teach our children to rejoice, we’ll be encouraged, and our hearts will naturally be turned to the miraculous work of God in the small, every day things.