Dove chocolates come wrapped in foil on which are printed positive and encouraging statements. Recently I found this one:
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
A positive attitude of praise and celebration, even for the little blessings, does contribute to a sense of well-being. But there’s an important omission in this quote–the cause of all those blessings. Perhaps the sentiment might be worded like this:
“The more you praise and celebrate God in your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Now a pleasing sentiment has become solid truth, because with God in our lives, joy is our constant companion.
“You make me glad by your deeds, O Lord;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.”
(Psalm 92:4)
It requires such a small effort, really.
Sometimes, all we need to do is focus on the pleasure of ordinary events:
- Water vapor curling up from a cup of coffee
- Sunbeams finally breaking through, after three days of unrelenting rain
- The first butterfly of spring dancing among the daffodils
Sometimes all we need to do is change our perspective. We can choose to:
- Get depressed over the huge stack of dirty dishes in the kitchen, or reminisce (while we clean!) over the delightful meal just enjoyed with family and friends
- Grumble that vacation is over, or celebrate that two weeks out-of-town makes even our scuffed-up, well-lived-in home look mighty inviting
- Sigh with dissatisfaction that personal goals have not yet been reached, or take note of how far we’ve come
Sometimes all we need to do is make a celebration out of a small moment.
I had been shopping at the mall for several hours, scouring the sales racks to no avail. Suddenly I looked down at my purse on which I had draped my light jacket and sweater. The sweater was gone. It was one of my favorites.
So not only did I not purchase an addition for my wardrobe that afternoon, I had subtracted a piece of clothing I already owned. That sweater had just been dry cleaned, too. “Insult to injury,” as they say.
Retracing my steps seemed pointless; I had been in so many stores.
Not long after realizing my sweater was gone, it was time to meet Steve for dinner at a restaurant attached to the mall. We ordered our meals, and then I told him what happened.
“I’ll check the mall lost-and-found after we eat,” I said. “By then maybe someone will have found my sweater and turned it in.”
So that’s what we did.
No sweater.
Steve suggested we stop at the stores where I’d shopped, as we made our way back to the car.
At the very first store the eyes of the young sales girl lit up when I asked about a lost sweater. “What color was it?” she asked.
“Red,” I told her.
“We did find it! It’s right back here!” she enthusiastically replied, walking to the back of the store.
Sure enough, there it was. Someone had even put it on a hanger.
Well! I thanked her, and the manager behind the counter, not knowing which of them had found it and been so thoughtful.
One of them jokingly said something about doing good deeds for chocolate.
As it happened, just two doors down was the Godiva Chocolate Shop. Steve and I popped in, bought two little boxes, and went back to the clothing store.
When those two girls saw the Godiva bag they whooped in surprise and delight. Steve and I laughed, too.
“God blessed me through you by returning my sweater; we wanted to bless you,” I said.
“Oh! That remark about chocolate was just a joke!” the salesgirl cried. “But you have no idea how much I needed this. Today has been especially rough.” She started around the counter with her arms outstretched. “Come here! I need to give you a hug!” Then she added, “Look! I’m crying!” I had tears in my eyes as well.
The level of endorphins was so high in that shop the lights shone brighter, the air smelled fresher, and the atmosphere crackled with joy.
And all because we took a small moment and magnified its significance, and we gave God the glory as we celebrated a God-orchestrated event.
Truly, “The more you praise and celebrate God in your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
And God celebrates, too. After all, he loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), right? Surely that includes givers of chocolate and hugs.
(Photo credit: www.inhabityourmoments.com.)
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What are you celebrating in life today? Share your joy in the comments below!
Thank you, Nancy, so very well put! Giving thanks this afternoon for this reminder from you. God Bless you! ( :
Thank you, Kathie. So grateful for your kind and faithful encouragement.
What a great reminder! In dire need of this today … I will have to head to a quiet place and count my blessings… i don’t do so well in the chaos
So glad the post ministered to you, Heidi. I don’t do so well in chaos either. My hope is to become one of those people who lives above the fray in a cloud of peace and contentment. Still working on that!
What a sweet, sweet story. No pun intended! I had a similar incident happen with my Mom. She was at Walmart and getting read to leave and couldn’t find her keys. She called me from her cell and I brought my extra set for her. But we still needed to find her keys. She had retraced her steps already…but I thought I’d give it a try. I went through the store looking on shelves and on the floor to no avail. Then I went to the service desk and sure enough…before I even asked the clerk I spotted them on the shelf behind her. We had prayed for the keys to be found. Why is it such a surprise when the Lord answers prayers like this? Shame on me for that lack of faith.
Well, as you can see I have drifted off topic once again. Your post, however, was something I needed. I had a tendency to look at the half empty glass through much of my life. The Holy Spirit has worked with me the past few years and I’ve improved immensely in that area and am a much more joyful person as a result. The pointers you listed provided me with a great refresher course. Thanks once again, Nancy!
I guess it’s part of our fallen nature to see the glass half-empty. The effort to become a half-full kind of person IS worth it, though. It’s a moment by moment choice that we face every day–not just a one-time decision that lasts long term. As you mentioned, a refresher course is called for now and then–for me, too!
Nancy, you have a gift of saying and doing the “right” thing at the “right” moment. I try to find ways that I can be a blessing to someone each day and it is a real joy to experience the surprised expressions I receive in return God has certainly blessed me in so many ways and I always try to find a way to do something to bring joy to someone else. Thank you for your joyful message. Love to you and Steve. You are truly missed but always in my thoughts and prayers.
You are so right–it IS fun to see the expressions of surprise when we bless others with unexpected kindness. Thank you, Ruth, for your faithful visits to the blog and your encouragement. And especially thank you for your continued prayers. I miss you, too!
Nancy, I LOVE stories like that. Generosity and kindness are so rare for so many people these days. It takes the simplest things to bless people. I’ll bet that was fun. What a blessing you are.
Thank you, Jody. It WAS fun!
Such a great reminder that attitude changes everything! I love how you celebrated the good deed of finding your sweater; a small thing really but look at the difference in made – a good lesson to remember!
Indeed: Attitude changed everything–and not just a little bit. It can make a decisive difference. Thank you for stopping by, Betty, with your encouragement!
Great post Nancy. I just posted on FB how God has helped me this past week. His presence is always there. I am happy to hear you found your sweater, and your loving gracious ways showed the ladies how much you appreciated them. Hugs
Thank you, Laura. I’ll have to hop over to FB and read your story!
I read this post before we left on vacation and wanted to come back to it. Love the story and the power of a chocolatey thank you. Great reminder. Thanks Nancy
Thank YOU, Jean. I’ll have to remember “the power of a chocolately thank you” and express my appreciation that way more often! 🙂