Take Time to Celebrate!

Take Time to Celebrate

Do you take time to celebrate? As Christian homeschool moms, we have much to celebrate! We have the blessing of personally being a part of virtually every one of our children’s milestones. The first time our child wrote his first name or tied his shoes… the first time our child read a book or memorized a Bible verse…

Starting our homeschool year… Finishing our homeschool year… Starting a new Heart of Dakota guide… Finishing that same guide…

Prayers answered… Poems memorized… Projects presented… Speeches given…

Hymns memorized… Multiplication facts memorized… Dictation levels completed… Bible passages recited… Research papers written…

Birthdays… driver’s licenses… braces off… and graduating from high school!  We have much to celebrate, and we should take time to do so!

Jesus Took Time to Celebrate

Before you say you don’t have time to celebrate, let’s take a look at Jesus’ life for an example! When Jesus called Levi the tax collector to follow Him, they celebrated at Levi’s house with a huge banquet.

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus went to Mary and Martha’s house to be with friends and enjoy good food. When Martha stressed out about it being good enough, Jesus literally had to tell her to stop worrying and to simply enjoy His presence.

In Luke 15:15-23, Jesus shares a parable about a prodigal son coming home to his father. While the returning son was still a long way off his father saw him, ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. He gave him the best robe, placed a ring on his finger, and put sandals on his feet. And then he threw a feast and celebration with the choicest food he had to offer! 

In Matthew 22:1-10, Jesus shares a parable about the kingdom of Heaven. He talks about a man throwing a large banquet where the people he invited decided they didn’t want to come. So, the man sent his servants out and invited everyone they could find until the party was full!

Of course, we could delve into each of these passages more deeply. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. However, for this post, I simply want to note that Jesus did take time to celebrate. And if Jesus as the Savior of the world had time to celebrate, certainly we as homeschool moms have time to celebrate too!

Big and Little Ways to Celebrate

We can celebrate in big and little ways! Good food, a hug, a smile, a kiss, a robe, a ring, a banquet, a party, and time with family and friends are all examples of big and little ways to celebrate from the above Scriptures.

I have a challenge for you! Start watching for things to celebrate! Look for little things to celebrate every day, and smile, hug, laugh, clap, sing, and dance! Find joy in homeschooling and share that joy with your children.

Make a list of big and little ways you can celebrate. Dollar store stickers on homeschool work, scented candles on desks, root beer floats for lunch, happy music playing, handwritten notes/cards on pillows, hugs in the morning, and chocolate at night – doesn’t that home sound like a happy place to be?

Go to a movie, take a hike in God’s creation, make some hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkles, go out to eat at a nice restaurant, watch a sunrise or sunset, make a craft together, put on sparkly nail polish, bake a cake, star gaze with some apple cider, picnic on your living room floor, make s’mores over a firepit, camp in a tent with your sons, make homemade popcorn or get some to go from your local movie theater, plan a vacation overnight for one night somewhere or take a trip for longer – when you choose to find joy and to celebrate, the possibilities are endless!!!

Jesus came that we might have life, and not just any life – an abundant life to the full. Taking time to give thanks and enjoy this homeschool life we have been given is one way to show Jesus the gratitude and joy we have for Him! It is also one way to make our homes happy places! I have done all of these things with my sons these past 20 years of homeschooling (except the sparkly nail polish as I have no daughters – I DID put sparkly nail polish on myself – does that count?). I wish I’d done even more – off to do just that.

In Christ,

Julie