The Discipline of Celebration

"When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to 
see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God. 
We are able to take delight today in something we 
wouldn't have even noticed yesterday. 
Our capacity for joy increases." 

John Ortberg, The Life You've Always Wanted

It's time to celebrate life.... the little things, the big things, everything.

I read this quote from John Ortberg last week and I can't seem to get it out of my mind. It's simple, yet profound. I've never thought of celebration as a discipline, an intentional, purposeful act, with such great reward.

Ortberg's formulaic approach is my favorite part:

1. Celebrate!

2. See & feel goodness in simple gifts from God

3. Take delight in things we used to not even notice

4. The result? An increased ability to experience joy!

A few days ago I wrote about choosing to be full of joy, regardless of circumstances or emotions that may naturally dictate otherwise. You know, that's sure a nice idea. Choose joy. It solves all your problems, right? If you're not full of joy - even on the awful, frustrating days - then you better just buck up and put a smile on... right? 

At the core of "choosing joy" is the intentional act of seeing and feeling goodness in the simple gifts from God. The more we choose to see these things every day, the more we will notice gifts and blessings. It's all about creating a new sense of awareness. Rather than being stuck in the dark and only seeing everything that goes wrong, you will start to become aware of reasons to celebrate. The best part: our ability to experience joy increases! 

It's a discipline. You can be disciplined in going to the gym, or doing homework, or how you eat, or cleaning the house. You're disciplined in the things you decide are most important, worthwhile, and will have lasting value to your life. Discipline is used to give direction in your life; it requires deliberate steps that move toward a desired end goal.

My end goal is that I would radiate joy to such an extreme that people would start to wonder. :) 

I want to be full of joy, even in the midst of circumstances that are not conducive to a joyful attitude. 

(This does not mean obnoxious or naive or ridiculous, just to clarify.)

"The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Psalm 28:7

There is clearly a need to celebrate life in order to be full of joy. As with any other intentional decision, this requires a plan. My plan starts with this beautiful new notebook I came across at a store downtown yesterday:

I am using this notebook to record moments of gratitude each day. This is a discipline of celebration. It's an exercise in choosing joy. I know that I have much to be thankful for. Now, my goal is to take a moment to stop & see. I want to acknowledge the blessings to grow in my capacity for joy.

"You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there

are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11

The fruit [evidence] of a life filled with the Holy Spirit is joy. Galatians 5:22