For show?

 

Why do people throw graduation parties, house warmings and the like? Is it to show off – rub it on people’s faces? These were the questions I recently received. I could see where this was coming from. We live in a society that measures success in material possessions and therefore the acquiring of such is viewed as progress and since we are born competitive, we end up doing what might be considered ‘showing off.’

I, however, hold a different perspective; developing a heart of gratitude in this life goes a long way toward improving one’s overall view of life. I opine that celebrating milestones in life, however small, contributes to an overall positive attitude that eventually leads to a more fulfilling and happy life.

Jesus once gave an example that I have struggled to understand but fits perfectly well in this case - the parable of the lost coin. A woman had ten coins, she lost one and looked everywhere for it when she found it she called everyone to come and celebrate with her. It didn’t make sense to me because it’s not like she was going to share the coin with them or anything but still they came and rejoiced with her, over a coin! Did she like cook for them or they just showed up, celebrated and then went back home? So much context is missing in this story but one thing stands out, despite the reason being trivial, the people came and celebrated with the woman.

See my argument? Hold those parties, celebrate those achievements, go ahead and be happy for your existence. If you don’t mind, call others to celebrate with you. Post it on your socials, let the whole world know! The wisest man to ever walk the earth -Solomon- said “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” It transcends the obvious and builds into something bigger than the achievement – happiness.

Go ahead and be happy and live your life to the fullest!