Let’s Celebrate

PHOTO CAPTION: Working hard. When my cookie is baked, I’m going to celebrate by enjoying my sweet treat.



In the midst of working, kids, volunteering and day to day problems, have you stopped recently to celebrate and say thanks? I don’t mean just a quickly uttered thanks when someone does something for you, but a heartfelt thanks for all the good things that you have or the ways God and others have helped you. That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately.

I am making the attempt to lay aside the problems, the stresses, the “To Do’s” for a moment to focus on what I do have instead of what I don’t have and in the midst of my pondering, I am finding that God is at the heart of all my blessings.

Complaining, stressing and thankfulness are really closer together than we think they are. Often, it’s a matter of perspective or altitude. That’s right, I said altitude! Are we rising above the clouds or sinking below? I don’t fly often, but I have flown and I love it. I have been at the airport when the sky was kind of gray; then after getting on the plane and taking off, the plane rises above the clouds and the whole perspective changes. Instead of the gray, I see the beauty of the clouds and I see the glorious light shining through. That’s what happens when I welcome God’s presence into my life. When I welcome Him and allow Him to pilot my plane, we rise above the clouds and the things I complained about, the things which seemed so gray on the ground become beautiful as the light of His love shines through. But when I try to pilot the plane myself, I often find that I am madly taxiing around on the runway never quite making it off the ground. 



Oh, I want to see things from God’s eternal perspective! I have so much to be thankful for. I have family and friends. I have a home and a car. Most of all, I have God’s amazing grace poured out towards me, strengthening me and giving me the courage to be who He wants me to be. I am so incredibly blessed! That traffic jam – who cares? I’m praising God in my car. That friend who has been sick, I do care, but I have a God who delights in answering prayer and surrounding us with His love. The extra money that I needed when I had an unexpected emergency – ouch, I didn’t like having to draw it out of savings, still God reminded me that He is the one that provides for me everyday. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have had it in savings. It is so much better to live life thankful.



One place that I like to go when I feel thankful is church. Just like King Solomon and the people celebrated when the temple was completed, I can celebrate at my church with many friends as part of the family of God. I can praise and thank God for my church, His grace and forgiveness, other believers and so many other things. I can thank Him because He is an amazing God who loves me. I can also rejoice with others in their answered prayers.

Let’s thank God and others this week wherever we go. Let’s cultivate a spirit of gratitude and celebrate all year long. Let’s thank God when we finish a big project too. Thank Him for His grace and strength to complete the task you and others set out to complete. King Solomon and the people thanked God when the temple was complete and you can thank Him too. Join me in a resounding shout of praise for all that God has done and is doing in our lives. Thank you God!

PARENT OR GRANDPARENT PRAYER:

Father God,
I am so glad that you don’t give up on me when I forget to pull up, but keep taxiing around on the ground trying to pilot my own plane. Thank you for your continual nudge to pull up, to rise above the clouds and to look from your perspective not my own. I have so much to be thankful for. I stop right now to simply tell you thanks. Thank you for my friends and my family. Thank you for the kids in my life that are a continual reminder that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Thank you for my mom who loves to sing even on days when it’s hard to be thankful. Thank you for loving me and giving me people who are patient with me even when I don’t deserve it. Thank you for your provision, your strength, your grace and mercy and your forgiveness. You are my God and my friend forever. Amen


ASK YOURSELF:
1. How’s my altitude? Am I flying above the clouds seeing things from God’s perspective or am I still stuck on the ground trying to get enough lift to take off?

2. Who can I thank you this week? Who or what can I celebrate?

3. How’s my relationship with God? Have I paused long enough to worship and thank Him this week?

CELEBRATIONS & GRATITUDE
I think celebrations and gratitude go hand in hand and you don’t have to restrict grateful celebrations to once a year. What are some other times and ways we can be grateful? Get creative and see what you can come up with.



• King Solomon and the people were celebrating the completion of the temple – a big multi-year, project that required a lot of sacrifice and work. What big project have you or your family finished that you can celebrate? Be grateful when you cross that finish line, whatever it is you have accomplished. Be grateful and celebrate even if it took you awhile to finish.









  
• Celebrate when your child crosses the finish line too. Whether your child places first in a race, tournament, whatever they are participating in or comes in last, celebrate the finish.


  
• What things are you grateful for? The coming of spring, good health, your kids, your parents, neighbors, colleagues, God’s incredible love? How about picking one and setting aside a day to celebrate? Celebrations remind us that we have a reason to be grateful, a reason to praise our God – the giver of “every good and perfect gift”.
  
  • Celebrate the wins at work.
 Celebrate with your colleagues when a problem is solved or something you have been collaborating on, works well. Be grateful for the input of others, yes even those who may be a little on the grumpy side.
    
    • Celebrate when others win. Be genuinely happy for them.
      
    • Especially celebrate who God is and what He has done for you.

Kid’s Section

SHARE A STORY: A Temple Party – 1 Kings 8
When the temple church was finished, King Solomon and the people of Israel gathered together in the temple. King Solomon prayed and thanked God for the temple church. 

They dedicated the temple to God and worshiped Him. They were so happy to have a place to come to worship God. They brought offerings to God. 

It was a wonderful time thanking and praising God. It was like a big party or celebration.

They ate together and enjoyed spending time with God. The people stayed at the temple church for two weeks! Wow! That was a long party! Then King Solomon told the people to go home. The people thanked the king and went home happy. They were happy because of all the good things that God had done. They were happy that they had a temple church to worship God.



You can celebrate and say thank you to God too. You can thank God for your church. You can thank God that He made you and that He loves you. You can thank God for Jesus. Stopping to say thank you to God is a wise choice. Taking time to use our kind words and say thank you to others is a good thing to do too. Let’s remember to stop and say thank you to God and others this week.



PRAYER:

Dear God,
Thank you for my church where I can learn about you. Thank you for making me and loving me. Help me remember to stop and say thank you to you everyday and also to use my kind words to say thank you to others who help me. You are amazing God. You do good things. I love you. Amen



MEMORIZE: Prov. 8:10 NIrV – (Hands open like holding a book.)
(God says – implied) – (Point up.)

Choose my teaching – (Clap hands.)

Instead of silver – (Rub fingers together.)

KNOW: I can celebrate & be thankful.
TALK ABOUT: Things to thank God for. Who else can you thank?
ASK: Who made you? God made me to give thanks.


AND DO: Stop & say thank you.



FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK:

• Take pictures of some things you are thankful for. Print the pictures and put them in a book for your child to look through. As you look through them together say, “Thank you God for __.”

• Don’t forget to say thank you to others. Using thankful and kind courteous words can go a long ways towards building friendships and gaining wisdom.