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Self-Celebration
Celebrating the Uniqueness of Me

By Kathy Jingling

Celebrating can mean a lot of different things to women. Some of you instantly thought of all the work that goes into the planning, preparation, and clean up for every celebration in life. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and special events in people lives always call for a celebration. To be honest, in the middle of my busy life right now I can't even imagine pulling off one more celebration. But, I do love to celebrate!

I love the way you can surprise someone who loves surprises and see her face light up. I enjoy seeing happy tears when you gather family and friends to celebrate someone's special occasion. I actually giggle when I search for the perfect greeting card, and I've had a squeal escape over the discovery of that perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person. Yes, it is wonderful to help others celebrate, but a bit more challenging to celebrate me.

Too often I am troubled by the dumb thing I just said or the opportunity that slipped by me. I can get caught up in the long list of what needs improvement in my life, and comparisons to others that will eventually give me the blues. We can believe that it is just not right to think about ourselves, and that it is better to wait and let others present us with celebrations. Sometimes, no one else thinks of celebrating the things we believe are special. Why not start the celebrations ourselves?

Now, I'm not talking about throwing my own birthday party, although that isn't a bad idea, but it is much more basic than that. I am learning to start with teaching myself about celebrating the things God has uniquely created in me. I have personality traits that can be appreciated, skills and interests that deserve recognition, and I have God's creative touch at work in each new season of my life that will draw others to Him if I invite them to celebrate that with me.

I guess the best way to show you what I am learning is to explain some of the ways I celebrate me. Proverbs 15 says a happy heart will make my face cheerful and a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Yes, my cheerful celebrating will affect my own life and the way I affect others.

Create a Celebration When I Need It

I realized that different weather and music could affect my mood. One dreary morning after a month of rain and cold days, as I drove to the office, I knew that if it were just sunny I would be happier. I pulled out a fun Latin guitar CD, popped on some sunglasses, and by the time I reached the office, I was celebrating. I nearly danced into the room with a smile and announced that it was going to be a great day and God was good. By noon, everyone was excited to go for Mexican food at lunch and we celebrated. I celebrate the way God has made me sensitive to music's influence.

Celebrate Stretches in Areas of Weakness

I used to compare my stick drawings to an artistic friend's sketches and get discouraged. Then I found a local pottery shop let us select small items to paint, send off to be fired, and later pick up as our own little treasures. Sounds simple, but to an artistically-challenged person this could be disastrous. Instead, the time spent painting is a hoot! We get snacks, settle in with supplies at our table, and talk and laugh for several hours. It always involves me enjoying my friend celebrating her artistic side, and my funny piece later helps me celebrate my love of stretching myself in areas where I'm not so talented. I love watching someone else celebrate who they are too.

Receiving Affirmation in Celebration

Fishing is something I really love. I enjoy the challenge, the outdoors, and the strike on my line. Every fish bite gives me a thrill. When I get the opportunity to fish, it is like a celebration for me. My sister will actually come along with her lawn chair, snacks, and a book to read. She hates fishing, but loves to see me celebrate and will snap photos of my fishing celebrations. Her cheers, claps, and camera flashes affirm my love for fishing and make my celebration more special.

Finding Places to Celebrate that Refocus Your Perspective

I have friends that love big cities, shopping excursions, and bright lights. They are energized by a whirlwind day in the city, and it is a celebration for them. God created me with a deep love for the peacefulness of nature. A trip to the mountains or just sitting in the back yard with my Chihuahua, who loves me no matter what, can be a wonderful celebration. Sometimes, when life is getting crazy, I have to plan an outdoor celebration because I know it will clear my head and heart to see the wonderful things God is doing around me. This celebration doesn't require music, but it can stir me to feel like dancing under the trees.

Serving Others Celebrates Me

I love to serve other people in surprising ways. I am chuckling as I think of my friends who thought I was just taking in their mail, and have come home to a clean house and laundry finished instead of a disaster area. At a time when their life was spinning out of control, it was a celebration for me to help. I'm not crazy enough to enjoy cleaning my own house, but I love to do that for someone else. I love to put things in order, and doing laundry is a wonderful way of celebrating this unusual part of me. There are always people who need to be served, and when we appreciate our ability to serve them, it turns into a celebration.

Using Unique Eccentricities to Celebrate

I cherish the times I get to cook with my "messy" sister. She loves to cook in a way that can only be called a celebration when you view the disaster area she leaves behind. I enjoy cooking, but in a very orderly and tidy way. This could cause some real issues, but we have learned to blend our celebrating, and everyone is happy. She flings and tosses, smears and slops, while I wipe, rinse, wash, and organize as we go. In the end, we have a clean kitchen, a wonderful feast, and two happy celebrators. It took us some time to mesh our celebration styles, but we both learned how to multiply the celebration.

Feeling Loved is Cause Enough for Celebration

God's love for us is all we need to start celebrating. No matter what your circumstance, financial status, personality or season of life, we all have cause to celebrate what God has done for us, is doing in us, and will do in the days ahead. Start searching for the things He has put in you that deserve a celebration. Start celebrating the amazing you!

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