Joy and celebration

     We had a live service yesterday for the first time in seven months. It was honestly a little strange to be back, to have a piece of what used to be normal when so much has changed. The past seven months have been long and I'm so glad for cooler weather and fall color. I'm grateful that we're actually able to return. This has been so much bigger than I think any of us thought it would be and as much as I want to be optimistic, this isn't just going to go away. All we can do is keep going in spite of everything and I trust that God will do what He still needs to do. 

    This weekend I also had the opportunity to go to a baby shower. It was a little weird and I was very overwhelmed by the people and the noise (my introvert self had forgotten what parties were like). I was the youngest one there, aside from the children of the people hosting and I felt very out of place. I went because my dad had insisted that as I am out of school and approaching nineteen, the ladies in our church need to see me as a woman, not just a girl, because apparently I am one. Truthfully, I don't feel very grown up. I've always been mature but that isn't the same thing. And maybe it'll be like this until I move out or at least get a job, I'm sure I'll let you know. With all that said, it was such a lovely event. The father-to-be is on our worship team and he wrote and played a song for his baby and it was so beautiful to hear. Afterwards, the men there and a couple of the ladies covered the parents and the baby in prayers and declarations. My family has it's struggles, as I think all families do, with our church sometimes but I felt so proud to be in the company of such believers. This past Wednesday, we took up the mantle of warriors and though I think it's the case for every Christian, that title is accurate to most, if not all the people in my church. 

    Last week I mentioned my upcoming birthday and how I was unsure as to whether or not I actually wanted to celebrate. I still haven't made up my mind but I do have a little more clarity. A baby shower is an opportunity to celebrate something that hasn't even been born yet. It was incredible to see people giving their time, putting their money and a great deal of thought into gifts and prayers and blessings. It was beautiful and it gave me some hope. If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm very pro life and to see an unborn child be so loved and supported was absolutely stunning. It's easy look something over because it's small or it doesn't look like what we thought it would. Last week, I also talked about the significance of the small and simple. What we do, even if it's small, carries more importance and our lives have more value than any of us realize. This week, in the hope that I'm not just reiterating what I wrote last week, I want to take it a step further. The small things should be celebrated. If you had a bad day but you at least got some work done, celebrate it. Celebrate small victories. Celebrate birthdays, including your own. Celebrate people. 

    I'm sure most of us are familiar with the expression, "laughter is the best medicine." Scientifically, this is actually accurate. More than just releasing endorphins, which can result in relieving stress and acting as a natural painkiller, laughing can increase your immune system, stimulate organs, and soothe tension. Laughter also has similar affects of antidepressants. Now, I will be the first to admit that I'm not particularly good at laughing. My sense of humor is minimal at best and I don't actually know what it is. I like being serious but unfortunately, I have to tendency to be too serious and I don't take advantage of opportunities to be happy because I find something silly or not very grown up. I can be cynical and take things too literally. It's hard to have fun when you're stressed out and tense. Finding joy is still a choice that I'm learning to make but God hasn't left me and I know that He's still pursuing me faithfully. All I know is that life is generally better when one has hope and when we're happy. James charges us to choose joy in our trials, which is difficult, to say the least. It's hard to choose joy when all you're feeling is frustration or sadness. I get it. With that said, it does get easier. You start seeing things that you can celebrate, things that seem insignificant or silly or different than you expected. Allow yourself to laugh as often as you give yourself time to grieve. This year has been unpredictable and stressful. Plans and dreams have been postponed and there genuinely hasn't been much to celebrate. Nothing happened the way we expected it do but God is still in control and He will never fail. The earth may try to hide God's goodness and faithfulness, to make Him small and powerless because that's how we feel but He's still the only one who can bring change. He's the one to make perfect our weaknesses. Matthew 6:26 says, "Look at the birds in the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don't plant gardens. They do not sow or reap-and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you." If nothing else, celebrate that. 

    As always, I hope this made sense. I had a hard time articulating exactly what was in my head. Thank you for reading anyway. 

Yours Truly,

Rey