Abraham Joshua Heschel had this bit of wisdom about having
a good time. “People of our time are losing the power of
celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained.
Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing
reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to
receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a
confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions.”
I Corinthians 10:31(ESV) gives the Bible’s official viewpoint on partying. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God.” In other words, how would you act at any get-together if Jesus
were in the room? (He is there viewing everything you do.
I’m not much of a party person. I tend to enjoy
being a home body. Those get-togethers that I have been to that serve alcohol
(of any kind) I avoid drinking.
I tend to have an obsessive personality in many
areas of my life (and especially this blog). Besides, I’m never sure how alcohol
will mix with the myriad of medications I take. I want to avoid getting in a state
of drunkenness. There is that fear of what I might say or do as I might be
bluntly telling friends and family what I really think. (I’ve never been
drunk.)
No telling how many people I would embarrass,
offend, or alienate from me. I am fine with this nicer, in-control version of myself.
Just yesterday I stopped off at my local grocery
store to make a withdrawal at the bank we use. While standing in line, a
colorful arrangement of Hallmark wine bags (to my left) caught my attention.
The wording on one in particular (see picture below) was screaming for me to
turn it into a post (or was that all in my head). Here is what it said:
Let’s toast
· A magnificent milestone!
· The anniversary of something super fantastic
· It’s game night
· Book club (minus the books)
· Just an excuse to party
· No real reason
· One of those ”big birthdays”
· ‘Cuz you did that one thing
· National stinky cheese day
To me, those all sound like valid reasons to party.
God wants you to have times of joyous celebration full of unbridled passion
(and happiness).
In fact, the Almighty provides you with this timely
reminder in Ecclesiastes 3:4, 13 (CEB): “… a time for laughing…a time
for dancing…Moreover, this is the gift of God: that all people should eat, drink,
and enjoy the results of their hard work.”
Work hard; party responsibly. I know you can do
this.
 |
| The wine bag that is responsible for this post |
No comments:
Post a Comment