I just wanted to send out a quick note this week to celebrate 2023 before jumping into 2024!
For a long time, I thought celebration was frivolous and a bit unnecessary. I thought there were better things to do with my time that could make me more fulfilled or just get me ahead of my to-do list. But I’ve only recently realized its power.
This fall, I took the second big step in discerning if I should cash flow my masters—the first step was making the decision to do it, and the second step was actually doing it. This has been the biggest step of trust I have taken in a long time… maybe ever! It has taught me the need for celebration and its power!
1. It helps you repeat good behavior.
Three months in, and I have not crashed and burned.
Hallelujah!
The first powerful effect celebration created has been in helping me repeat good behaviors. This meant making shifts in how I approach business. In my case, this meant loving people better. It meant using my time and financial resources wisely.
P.S. Don’t forget this helpful tip if you have kids. There’s nothing worse for your relationship with your child than if you’re constantly ragging on them, right? So, look (sometimes hard) for the good things and celebrate them. Positive encouragement goes such a long way, for adults and kids alike.
2. It helps you look at the big picture.
One of the big lessons for me is that this is not a financial celebration. Instead, this is a celebration of learning how to trust God. I can get stuck in the finite details of my spreadsheet, but, if I did that, I would be missing the mark. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than seeing God’s provisions come to life in a spreadsheet. It’s like having physical documentation that He is trustworthy.
BUT…
The financials are the small part. The big picture is that I CAN TRUST!!!
3. It helps you remember that you are worthy.
Trauma survivors are perhaps the biggest culprits of the “I’m not worthy” narrative. For years now, I’ve hid on my birthday, whispering that narrative to myself. But celebrating means that there is reason for celebration, and I am worthy of celebration.
As a Christian woman, it is easy to slip into the mindset that God is the one worth celebrating, forgetting myself in the scenario. But we are God’s works of art, and that alone means we are worth all the love and celebration!
I have walked this path of discernment and have crossed over the threshold when it would have been just as easy to sign a document and begin thinking about the financial implications of my choices in approximately four years. I didn’t do that, and I am worthy of celebration.
There… I said it!
4. It helps you realize if you’re in a new season.
One of my favorite therapists once said, “Johanna, you’re making decisions from a place of healing instead of a place of trauma.” This is a mile marker for a new season.
Sometimes, we slip into a new season without even acknowledging it. If we forget to celebrate the new season of our existence, it is far more likely that we will fall into old habits. I am in a season of celebrating trust and walking more closely with God. This has significant implications on who I am, and it means there are parts of myself I am intentionally saying goodbye to in this new season, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
5. It helps to remind you of God’s faithfulness.
Whatever we are celebrating as we turn over this page in our calendar, remembering God’s faithfulness also helps us remember what needs to be elevated to Him. It shows me what was in need of divine grace and how it was received.
As you begin to prepare for 2024 here are a few questions:
- When you look back at 2023, what have you forgotten to celebrate?
- What is the little voice in your head saying that is holding you back from celebrating?
- What are the implications if you do celebrate?