![Chapter 8. CELEBRATE [She's Thankful While She Waits].](http://withlovemia.co/cdn/shop/articles/B7DF144A-0757-4093-A310-19E36504C8D4_1100x.jpg?v=1688506048)
The giant cake is a picture of a homemade treat, celebrating one year of the release of my first published book and one year of being an author. If you're anything like me, I enjoy a good party! Sometimes, when there hasn't been an occasion, I'd feel copious amounts of joy just by baking a little treat for someone when they came over to my house. I am a firm believer in celebrating everything.
I guess I learned this from my family. Take for example, this Thanksgiving day story I mention in my book, Waiting and Dreaming, "It’s Thanksgiving, and family gathers around the table to enjoy a beautifully handcrafted meal. Everyone takes turns talking about what they are thankful for. We all pretty much say the same thing, and even though it’s a good thing to do, it possibly will be the last time we take the time to share why we are thankful until we’re all seated around this table again next year. In the middle of my messy waiting period, I felt the need to look at what I didn’t have instead of what I did..." [ read more by purchasing the book here ]
Though, more often than not, joy sometimes shifts to an earthly unhappiness when things come to a screeching hault in life. I must admit [from personal experience], it can take our eyes off things we can be celebrating, and putting our eyes on something we're waiting for or wished we could obtain. Not that I think God doesn't want us receiving sweet blessings to enjoy on this side of heaven, in fact He delights in it [Ephesians 3:20 says Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us], and I'd like to believe that this also means tearing down areas of weakness in our personal life, creating a road map for the completion of our purpose, or for the very desires God has put into our hearts.
Here is the dilemma, and if you've grown up hearing "be thankful" consistently, you also probably have had life hit you harder than you could imagine. While writing this chapter, I remember realizing that I was encouraging myself in this too. After the completion of this chapter, I realized that I had grown within the last three years and because of that I left out one major thing. Maybe just maybe grieving and celebrating can co exist. One thing is for certain, anything good in me [and I reiterate this often], is the love of God through Christ Jesus.
Dare I ever pretend that out of my Thankfulness there is perfection. Far from it. To me, Thanksgiving is really knowing God, the creator of Heaven and earth is on my side. I've learned that Thankfulness is a quiet celebration, even in the pain and even in the waiting. Thankfulness creates a beautiful peace that is often times experienced and not fully explained. I would say, Thankfulness and a heart of faith go hand in hand. Even if getting there is messy, through halfhearted smiles and tears while healing from situations and just from waiting for answers and healing, there can be Thanksgiving.
"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with Thanksgiving"
Colossians 4:2
Well ladies, go and celebrate today and eat some cake, just for the fun of it!
1 comment
Congrats, Mia, and may you continue to inspire us to be the writer we always longed to be.