Celebrate!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 8:04AM 
Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.
If you take the time to post on my blog in May, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi!
Now on to my topic...
I recently returned from speaking at the first ever, "Beloved" conference hosted by South Union Christian Church in Indiana, and I'm telling you, we had a wonderful time!
The event hosts treated me with absolute love and care. In fact, they bathed the whole weekend in prayer and we enjoyed a powerful time in the Lord's presence.
My reason for sharing this with you is because they they did a skit that is still affecting me. And though this at first glance may appear to be a post directed at women, there's something here for men too.
Prior to one of the sessions, the lights went down, the spotlight went up, the music played, and one at a time, women marched down a model runway, each wearing different banners that represented where their value came from. One banner said, "Ambition", another, "Model", and another, "Educated" and so on and so forth. One at a time, the women strutted down the runway with an empty but prideful look in her eyes. During this portion of the skit, the large Power Point screen displayed one timeless quote after another; each depicting true beauty; inner beauty and value.
Off to the side, judges sat on tall chairs, whispering and jotting down their remarks on each woman.
Once the women had done their walk, they disappeared back stage. A minute later, they all re-appeared wearing jeans and a "Beloved" t-shirt. They lined up on the stage, all looking very much the same. The judges approached the first girl, crowned her and hugged her. She jumped up and down with excitement and headed down the runway, this time with great joy and humility and celebration. The music was fun and upbeat and everyone celebrated her.
Then the next girl was crowned and celebrated and did her walk/dance down the runway. Everybody cheered. Everybody celebrated.
Every girl in the cast was crowned, cheered for, and celebrated as if to say, "You win. And, You win. And You win. And so do you, you win!"
And so it goes with you.
For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song (Zephania 3:17).
Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I don't think so.
God has gifted each and every one of us and unless we identify ourselves more with the Giver than the gift, we'll subtly shift our weight, our hope, and our sense of value into the gift.
We'll strut our stuff, we'll look at others, size them up, wonder where we fall into rank with them on the scene, and in doing so, we'll miss out on the fullness of life and community we were intended for in the Body of Christ.
When we strive to be known for our gift rather than to be known for knowing Him, we separate ourselves from others and from the joyful song God is singing over us.
Think about the women in the second part of that skit. All dressed the same, all celebrated for their uniqueness, and yet, all in it together.
When we commit the sin of comparison - we miss out.
When we embrace competition over community - we miss out.
When our fears and insecurities trump our faith and sense of identity - we (and everyone around us) miss out.
It all goes back to the Giver.
Do you know that He sings over you? He does.
Do you know that He is pulling for you today? He is.
Do you know that He has already made a way for you? He has.
Do you know that He'll be faithful tomorrow? He will.
When I receive YOU and celebrate with YOU, and you celebrate me and receive me, we get to share our fruit and our reward is great. You're victory becomes my victory. My victory becomes your victory. One of us sends a thousand to flight; but two of us, ten thousand!
There is power in unity, in numbers, and in a group of people who know and understand that we are ALL made in His image.
This IS the day the Lord has made and He has made a way for you. Rejoice with Him and be glad.
He takes GREAT delight in you. He REJOICES over you with singing. And He watches you with GREAT CARE.
Whether this feels true or not, you have a cause to celebrate.
In His presence, the fullness of joy is found (Psalm 16:11).
Have a great week~
Reader Comments (12)
Our unity as Christians is powerful in God's Kingdom. We can't afford to not set aside our differences and celebrate each other.
Your blogs always encourage and enlighten.God bless!
What a powerful post! I don't think we can even imagine what goes on in the heavenlies when we are in step with the Lord on earth.Thanks for sharing...
Thanks for stopping by.You're such a sweetie pie!Bless you~Susie
Welcome to my blog and I must say, what a woman of faith you are! God bless you!
I am glad you know that He will not leave you or forsake you. May you see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And may you see with your eyes that greater are those who are for you than those who are against you. And finally, may a miracle breakthrough come knocking at your door.
Be blessed this day~