The month of May went by for me in a whirlwind. The month was ushered in by my daughter’s birthday party welcoming her into her teen years. Then, two of my sons graduated a week apart, one from high school and the other from college. Finally, the month was capped at the end by a birthday celebration for my son, the recent college graduate. I hosted either a birthday or graduation party every Saturday in May. To top it all off, my mother was in town visiting the whole month. To say we had a grand ole time would be accurate. To say that I was exhausted by the end would be an understatement.
Have you ever noticed that when people say a certain season or time of year has flown by it’s more a reflection on what the person is experiencing than the time or season itself? We know the laws of physics don’t change, so seasons or months themselves don’t actually get longer or shorter. It’s what we do in those months that changes and those changes impact what we feel or how we experience those seasons.
When I joined a church during my junior year of college, I met some of the liveliest people I’ve ever known. They loved to celebrate. Not one special occasion went by unnoticed and some days or events that others might have considered to be ordinary, like the first month of a new Christian’s life or the day someone received a bible, or the anniversary of a prayer being answered, were often heralded so as to not let the moment go unnoticed. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and these several years later I’ve kept that philosophy of celebrating every chance I can. Why not get excited about as many good things in our lives as we can?
The bible reminds us at least 96 times to celebrate. Whether it was the Passover, a new birth, or simply the goodness of God, we are reminded to celebrate. One verse in Psalm 153 says, “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate His lovely name with music” (153:3). As for my exhaustion because of the events of my month of May, it’s a small price to pay. In second Samuel chapter six, David danced before the Lord with all his might. He was overjoyed at finally being able to take the Ark of the Lord back from a hill in Baalah of Judah and take it into Jerusalem. So, he celebrated with leaping and dancing (6:16). I bet David was exhausted after dancing with all his might, and I bet it was worth it. I feel the same way.
Psalm 21:13 Rise up, O Lord in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.
