Operation Celebrate Life

My family’s theme song is “Golden,” by Jill Scott. We listen to it every so often to keep the concepts in mind. It’s our prayer for ourselves. “Golden” is a song of strength, empowerment, and most importantly, faith and belief in our worth as children of God.

The song is full of joy and happiness, reassurance and positivity. We can’t help but smile and laugh with each other when we listen to it. When I’m alone, and it comes through my playlist, I think about my girls, and how they will make their way in the world as they approach and enter into adulthood. I pray that I am doing everything I can to carry them through.

This Easter season, we celebrate the Resurrection of our brother and savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate his victory over death, and our own salvation, to be sure. It’s the undeniable proof of God’s ultimate love for us and desire for us to live full and abundant lives. It’s proof that he loves us even more than we love our own children. That’s an incomprehensible amount of love.

That’s the love Jill Scott is talking about when she says:

I’m holding on to my freedom,

Can’t take it from me,

I was born into it,

It comes naturally,

I’m strumming my own freedom,

Playing the god in me,

Representing his glory,

Hope he’s proud of me,

I’m living my life like its golden, golden, golden, golden, golden, golden, [X2]

Livin’ my life like it’s golden,

It really matters to me, Oh…

So as my family enters this season of Easter and spring, it’s Operation Celebrate Life. We’re getting outside to honor our earthly temples and enjoy God’s beautiful creation. Spending time outdoors helps us to reflect on the tremendous gift God gave us with his son, Jesus. Most of all, we’re planning to give lots of thanks to God for each other.

This Easter, we’ll be celebrating God’s fulfillment of his promise of love, faith, truth, and hope all season long. Our first stop will be in our yard. It needs a lot of work! Beautifying your yard, neighborhood, and community are ways to show that we care about God’s earth and think it’s important to take care of it.

Another way we’ll be celebrating the resurrection life is by being more physically active outdoors. God wants us to be happy and healthy; the resurrection is proof of that! God wants us to live. So get outside and breathe deep. If all you do is walk to the edge of your driveway or walk, great! Get closer as a family by planning a family picnic or camping trip.

We might even jump-start our brains with a device-free “salon.” Salons were popular during the Harlem Renaissance, when poets, painters, singers, and artists all spent time together at someone’s house where they practiced and shared their art. Everyone gets their favorite thing to do and brings it to wherever the salon will be held. Perhaps you have a chef in your family – hold your salon in the kitchen so s/he can participate. A garage salon? Sounds divine!

Whatever you choose to do for your Easter celebration, make it about you and your family. When you do, you honor all that God wants for us. Jesus’ victory over death gives us all the motivation we need to live our theme songs to the fullest.

 

[Image credit:  CC0 Public Domain via Pixabay]

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Does your family have a theme song? What is it?