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Celebration as a Discipline?

Calling celebration a discipline seems contradictory to many of us, especially if we are still struggling to overcome the negative associations the word discipline has picked up in our culture. Doesn’t life have enough structure imposed upon it already without turning fun into a discipline?

If we view the spiritual disciplines as burdens or legalism, then the above concern is a valid one. However, if we understand that the words discipline and disciple have the same root, then we can view the discipline of celebration as a way of becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Simply put, this discipline teaches us to look at life from the perspective of the final chapters of the book of Revelation, where we get a foretaste of the end of civilization as we know it. Even when things seem hopeless, we can have within us a deep well of joy and say, “But I know how this all will end.” This takes discipline to do on many days and in many circumstances.

This is not a Pollyanna-ish view of the world that is optimistic for the sake of optimism. This is not whistling in the dark, hoping the boogeyman won’t be behind the next tree. This is walking in triumph because Jesus, the risen Christ, has walked this way before. This is having a deep confidence in God’s goodness and the working out of that goodness in human history. This is knowing that while there are still battles to be fought, the war is over. This is being filled with joy and hope even while grieving the death of a loved one or the death of a dream.

But like all hand-dug wells, it will take time to access this deep aquifer of joy in our souls. We may have to chip through rocks of bitterness, resentment or anger to get down to the living waters that God promises are available to us. This is why the discipline of celebration needs to infuse our learning and practice of all the other disciplines. 

Joy is to be the hallmark of a Christian. If that does not describe you, then this discipline can help you get down to those springs of joy that are meant to flow through us to refresh a tired and thirsty world.

From Spiritual Disciplines Devotional by Valerie E. Hess.