Celebrations

Good morning, Five Minute Families! We hope you are enjoying your days with your loved ones. Parents, the time is short, though the days may seem long, so always remember to take at least five minutes a day to soak in the joys of each of your children - their individual characteristics, their unique contribution to your family, and the ways you can celebrate who God created them to be. In this time of graduations and weddings in the United States, many of us are receiving numerous invitations of celebration. So, let’s take the next few minutes and look at celebration from a biblical perspective. God implements different feasts and festivals throughout the Old Testament in celebrations of remembrance and honor of His deliverance, protection, provision, and more. As a not-so-great party planner, times of celebration often sneak up on me and while I vow to do better the next time, it seems to keep happening again and again. But, still, why do we celebrate? 2 Chronicles 15:7 tells us that when God’s people worked toward His glory and their good, they were rewarded. It specifically states, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” What are rewards? Rewards are celebrations of jobs well-done. Just as a first place runner wins a prize at the end of a race, we are to celebrate the work and accomplishments of our family members. Some of us will receive promotions or scholarships; some will have felt they barely got by to the next step, but either way, we should reward hard work and perseverance. Let’s keep in mind that the who we celebrate utmost is the Lord. The feasts of the Bible rightly celebrated God because of what He had done and would do for His people - the Israelites and those of us later grafted in to the Tree of Life. Even when we are celebrating earthly accomplishments of our family members, we must remember that God brings about all good gifts. Thus, just as God rewards those who are with Him, we can celebrate our loved ones. Just as with the feasts of the Bible, c