Day 41

I love to celebrate... whether it's a birthday or a holiday, an accomplishment or a win... celebrating is so much fun to me.  I am an extrovert, so this may not be too surprising.  And today was a day of celebration!  My sons both made it to school extra early... with amazing positive attitudes to boot.  My garage door was having major issues this morning and I called my friend to tell her I was running late and asked her to help me pray about it... and our prayers were answered.  I went to a Christmas Tea for a mom's group that I attend and it was so much fun.  We shared Christmas traditions and memories, played a game and just got to relax together.  And I attended a staff luncheon too where we celebrated everything God has done at our church over the past year. 

My celebrations went beyond these things...I also got to celebrate with others.  First, a dear friend finished her first college final and got the most amazing surprise from her professor... she only had to answer one question because of all her hard work throughout this challenging course!  God rewarded her perseverance and commitment.  If you've got questions about the Old Testament, she's your girl!  It was so fun to celebrate this milestone with her.  I'm super proud of her amazing positive attitude and how she trusts and listens to God's leading... and is rewarded for her obedience with little surprises along the way.

Then, I got a text from an amazing gal who is so special to me.  She is experiencing Romans 8:28 in her life:  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  To hear her story and how the timing perfectly syncs up with my own story just blew me away.  And not only did I get to talk to her on the phone, she had time to shop a bit with me.  I loved getting to celebrate how God is revealing His plan and purpose for her life. 

Wanna know about the icing on the cake?  It was sunny after a series of gray and wet days.  It was like God was sending sunshine to make the celebration even better.  God was raining down the blessings today, not only on me, but also on so many others who are near and dear to my heart.

So today, I want to wrap up the celebration with David's Psalm of Thanks.  You wanna know why this fits so perfectly?  It's because David gave this Psalm of Thanks to the Lord after the ark of the covenant was returned to the City of David.  This was a monumental occasion and David, the King, was so delighted that he danced and celebrated (1 Chronicles 15:29).  The King was doing a happy dance because of what God did, so we're entitled to do happy dances too.  It counts as exercise, I promise! 

Here's some of the words David spoke to God after the celebration:

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.   Glory to His holy name, let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.  Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced...  Psalm 16:8-12  http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Ch&c=16&v=8&t=NIV#8

Take time to celebrate your blessings.  Break into a random happy dance.  Sing some praise and worship songs at the top of your lungs.  Jump for joy.  God loves it when we celebrate with a thankful heart... and we truly have so much to be thankful for. 

Today, I am thankful for...

1.  My jingle bell bracelet and how it caused my three year old to break into song
2.  Getting the boys to school extra early
3.  God answering the prayers for my garage door to work
4.  Christmas tea
5.  Learning new Christmas traditions to try out
6.  Celebrating a final that is finally over... and God's surprise that brought such joy to my friend
7.  Celebrating God working in another friend's life
8.  My mom watching my three year old
9.  Christmas shopping extravaganza - sans kiddos!
10.  Homemade spaghetti made by my mom - who's an absolutely amazing cook!
11.  Cousins playing together
12.  Sunshine
13.  Chasing down Firetruck Santa and finding him much to the delight of my boys
14.  Getting a chance to let God know that I appreciate His blessings in my life
15.  New ornaments for the Christmas tree
16.  Phone chats that brighten my day

Here's to 10,000 reasons... Only 5,530 to go...