What if we celebrated?

One year ago, I gave this necklace to my mentor and friend, Lauren Alexander. Disciple was her word of the year and she had been wanting a giving key for a while. {Check out www.thegivingkeys.com to learn more about their company and mission} Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at a women's retreat on the subject of being a disciple. Right before I went in to speak, Lauren pulled me aside, put this necklace in my hand and said, "You've been Timothy long enough, it's time to be Paul."

Needless to say, there were quite a few tears shed during this conversation. And I walked away from that conversation empowered and encouraged to speak the word God had given me. What an amazing gift, not just the necklace itself, but what it represents. The Paul to my Timothy, humble enough to say that I can lead too. Not only standing with me in my suffering, but rejoicing with me when God brings the victory. And this caused me to think...

What if we celebrated?

What if, instead of comparing your success to mine, I celebrated your victories, no matter what was going on in my own life?

What if I realized that your success in no way makes me a failure, because God's Kingdom is not one of scarcity?

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; he has enough for both sons. Yet, like the older son, I foolishly think that because you are being celebrated there isn't enough left for me. I wanted that fatted calf; I needed that validation. And I refuse to join the party because you were blessed and I was not.

But God's Kingdom is not one of scarcity. We are not all scrambling for one or two blessings. For God will supply every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus! {Philippians 4:19} Celebrating you does not mean that my labor has gone unnoticed by the Father. Because, as the Father told the older son, "I am with you always and everything I have is yours." {Luke 15:31}

What if we celebrated? What if I walked with you, not only in your sufferings, but in your successes? What if we took on the humility of Christ, not doing anything out of selfish ambition or conceit, but counted others as more significant than ourselves? {Philippians 2:3}

Because if we do what we do to gain the praise of others, then we have received our reward. But if we live in humility, celebrating others, then our reward will be from the Father. {Matthew 6:2-4}

And wouldn't we rather have Him celebrate us than anyone else?