Celebrations.
Celebrations are a big part of our lives, says Carol. After an unusual year, perhaps we can learn that real, lasting joy comes from Jesus.
Big Celebrations
We think of big celebrations as part of the puzzle of our lives. Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter celebrations come with lots of commercial interest, various customs, and cultural differences. Some people might choose to do nothing, while others make a big celebration of this time. Some people love to celebrate the seasons, other days marked as special on the calendar such as Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Canada Day. But what about the everyday things. Can we enjoy and celebrate them in some small way?
Our puzzle of life seems full. This year things didn’t happen as we expected. Everyday parts of our lives took on new forms, restrictions, problems, and sometimes pain. We continue to wait . . . to wonder what will happen next. . . to live life the best we can each day.
We Need to Smile
No matter who we are or where we live or what age we are, we need to smile. Some days finding things to smile about is more difficult than others. What lets you smile even for a brief moment or two? Some things might let you laugh out loud. Proverbs tells us that a merry heart does good like a medicine.
I googled, for that is a piece of our life puzzle these days when we want to find our information) for a fun or whacky or even serious things that it tells us we can celebrate on this day in November. Two things jumped off the screen. November 18 is Princess Day or Mickey Mouse Day. I paused in my serious searching through the puzzle pieces of my life and smiled to think of things our inner child could enjoy.
Little Boys Dream
I wonder if little boys dream of being the prince or do they want to be the knight in shining or even rusty armour fighting the dragons and riding to the rescue. Inside every little girl—maybe bigger ones too—seems to be a dream of being a princess. (although I know a few who want to fight the dragons, ride the horse, and not wear frilly dresses and tiaras) Disney princesses are popular and there are a lot of them. We remember them more than the prince who goes with them at times.
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a fun character who has been around for decades without losing popularity. He bears little resemblance to the little critters who sneak into homes, invade food stuffs, and make a mess of everything. He doesn’t scare me the way a real mouse does either. Mickey makes me smile not climb on a chair or table in fright. He brings childhood memories of a Disney adventure or watching the Wonderful World of Disney once a week with my family. Treasured times with family even thought we clustered around a small screen black and white TV. Oh, what fun it was when we got a colour television and the characters and princesses came to life even more.
But many people never get to Disney Land or Disney World. It’s far from the reality of their puzzle pieces of life where money runs out before the month end arrives or health concerns prevent traveling. Real life princesses face the same problems as everyone else with relationship issues, health concerns, and even trying to fit into everyone’s expectations. They have the added problems of dealing with the paparazzi and the press about their every little move—at least some of them.
Mickey Mouse Memories
As I thought about Mickey Mouse and had some fun memories and smiled at the sight of the much-loved creation of Walt Disney, I marveled at how the smiles brightened my day. Princesses, little girls wanting to play dress up, and imaginations at work also brought smiles to my day. But I thought of more serious things and no pretending was necessary.
We can become a child of the king and not just any king but the King of Kings. We can be a prince or a princess for eternity. No frilly dresses or suits of armour needed. No earthly crowns or tiaras. The Bible tells us in Romans 10: 9, 10 “That if you confess with your mouth,
‘Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
In Romans 10: 13 it continues and says,
“for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In Ephesians 2: 8 & 9 it says,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast.”
Jesus is the Son of God
Knowing Jesus is the Son of God and accepting that He took our place, our punishment on the cross, and was raised from the dead, means we can be a child of God. That doesn’t mean that our lives will become perfect after that. Those puzzle pieces of needing food, shelter, water, and acceptance still exist. There are times when our health will suffer, relationships will still need work, and the clothes we wear will be the same old things. But the difference comes inside us. Our hearts are changed. We have hope in the middle of those dark pieces of life because we have Jesus in our hearts.
Thinking of fun things to make us smile, at least momentarily like Mickey Mouse and princesses, adds a bright spot into our day. It is fleeting and doesn’t satisfy the deep longings inside us. For some, the fantasy makes their reality look even darker and the smile quickly fades.
Yet no matter how dark our life might be, how far from our struggling reality those fun princesses and other Disney characters might be, we can be clothed with garments that never go out of style, never wear out, and always add a glimpse of joy and glimmer of hope. We need to allow God to clothe us with His righteousness in Jesus. It looks like love, kindness, patience, humility, forgiveness, tolerance, and encouragement.
Smile for a moment at fun things in the puzzle pieces of your life. But find true and lasting joy in Jesus.
What is God’s plan for you? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life or visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope.
She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
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Balloons – Artturi_Mantysaari
Mickey & Minnie Mouse – Momentmal
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