You Are Invited to Celebrate

There is something about celebrating.

I mean, when we make it a priority and put it on the calendar.  Decided.

Even when there is nothing to celebrate… yet. 

My husband recently made the decision to change his employment.  He spent time in prayer.  A lot of time.  He’s loyal and tends toward being the ‘yes’ man, finding ‘no’ very difficult to say.  This was not an easy or quick decision on his part, because of who he worked for and his affection for his employer.  He sought the Lord for strategy and wisdom.

He heard the Lord’s advice.  It was not logical, practical or ‘natural’ to our senses. Standing strong on the words he’d listened to, against sound currents of practical advice flowing freely around him, he gave his notice.

Perspective: He’d been talking with recruiters for several months, and networking with local networking groups without any real leads.  It was a gigantic leap of faith that my husband took; resting on the words he heard in his prayer closet.

The next day his recruiter called to set up an interview.  My husband then proceeded to so impressed the person he interview with that the recruiter who’d connected them was speechless, having never seen this particular client of his as impressed with past prospects.  As events unfolded, my husband found favor with a new company. However, as his last days at his former job came close, he had to continue in the illogical choices, putting into writing his intentions to leave his then current job before any kind of formal offer came through.  It was nerve wracking.

Pause.  It was in this brief moment of time, in the midst of complete unknowns and letting go with both hands, that the Lord gently prodded; celebrate with Me!

Without sure and solid evidence to stand on, without any real tangible reason, we did just that.  We took our family out and celebrated!  We rejoiced in the goodness God has already shown us, and we thanked Him for His character that never changes.  We celebrated His trustworthy promises, and thanked Him for providing for us the things we hoped for and hadn’t yet seen.

Monday of the last week at work came, and no formal job offer had come through yet. Friday, the last day at his former job, loomed ahead full of all kinds of uncertainty.  We continued in hearts decided on celebrating God’s goodness.  Our kids had been asking us to take them to see Toby Mac in concert and he happened to be in our town the Sunday following my husband’s last day of work.  We bought the tickets, anticipating more celebration.  Hoping…

Thursday morning rose and I walked into my room where my phone was on it’s charger.  My husband had received a formal written proposal for a job offer, starting the beginning of the following month, one week away.  It was exactly what we needed and had hoped for.

We had been celebrating for a week, something we hadn’t yet seen come to pass and on the seventh day we saw it. 

There is something about celebrating… it aligns our minds with His heart.  It sets up the atmosphere for anticipation of miracles and wonders beyond what we can imagine or comprehend.  It places us under His grace, in perfect partnership with His nature, where all things come from Him ~ where our working meets His ability and what is accomplished is indeed the miraculous.  Celebration is a joyful display of complete reliance on His nearness and interest in us.  And it is so important to Him that He actually set it up in His ancient law, and decrees it for those He loves, who love Him.

Identity & Love

A tweet from a friend: “RT@GregoryDickow: Identity + security = destiny.  Understanding your Identity in Christ & security in God’s love propels you into your destiny.”

No matter what has happened to you or what choices you have made, your identity in the love of the God who created you is steadfast, secure and unshakeable.  There isn’t anything you can do or have done that keeps you from His love.  There isn’t anything that has happened to you that removes His love from you.

It is your soul’s enemy who works tireless to to keep you from experiencing this love, and from understanding your identity, thus preventing you from claiming the destiny that is yours.

If you are heartbroken, healing, recovering, flailing in uncertainty, feeling lost, lonely, helpless…  my prayer is that you come to know exactly how loved and how secure you are in Christ.  I pray that you come to understand that all the pain and all the guilt is not His design, plan or desire for you.  I pray that you know how deep His longing is to restore, recover and comfort you.

His love is not what this world calls Love.  He does not impose Himself; He waits for your invitation.  He does not demand; He respects you.  He does not insist; He waits patiently for your timing.  He does not require you to earn His love; He declared it before you were born, giving Himself up for you just to have the hope, the chance, that you might desire Him, know Him, accept His love.  That by the knowledge and acceptance of His love for you, you would discover your secure identity in Him and be fulfilled in the life He has established for you.

Your destiny.