Imagine throwing a party every time
a hurdle in life is overcome. The champagne gets broken out, streamers and
balloons are hung up around the room, a cake is baked and iced ready to eat,
and people are invited and ready to dance to a selected playlist of music.
There are many victories that are not celebrated and it would be silly if there
was a party each and every time. Life really would be a party!
There are some culturally accepted
victories (most of us celebrate):
- · Reaching a year older
- · Passing a driving test
- · Getting a first job
- · Graduating
But within each of us we have
personal battles and personal victories. The person next door may be struggling
with insecurity, low self-esteem and anytime they walk in the room without
apologising is a victory. The person who sits next to you at church may be
battling anxiety and it is a victory they made it to the service. A work
colleague may be battling depression and each day they turn up to work is a
victory.
Each person’s victory is different
but it does not make any of them less ‘celebrated’. The past two years have
been full of victories for me. One of them has been a progression of overcoming
fear in various areas of my life. Although I have usually been the last person
to see them as victories, they are milestones all the same. I have a tendency,
and I am sure many others have as well, to minimise any steps taken forward. If
I look back over some of my past fears, I can chuckle as they seem trivial now.
Each step of overcoming fear is
valid to celebrate. Maybe not to the extent of a party, but to acknowledge the
step taken and thank God for giving you the strength. The steps I take to move
forward in my life are different from the next person. When each step is taken
to move forward, I picture Jesus celebrating in Heaven on our behalf. The power
of the cross shows Jesus overcame death. With Jesus on my side, I can have
strength to keep moving forward.
Whatever my personal victories may
seem like or look like to someone else, each one is evidence of the grace of God
in my life. When I look back over my life, not only do I feel thankful for the
strength and hope of Jesus to have gotten me to this point, but I also see the
growth that has allowed me to reach where I am in life now.
There is, however still one fear I
have not yet overcome: spiders. Ironically, I write this post after having
spotted a large sized spider hiding behind the couch I normally sit in. Even
after I (so courageously) sprayed it and moved it outside, I am spending the
evening cautiously sitting on another seat. Just in case. Maybe God is not
finished with me yet!
And God is not finished with you yet, either. What is one quiet victory
from this past week you can celebrate?
