But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. (Luke 15:32)
Take time to think back to a happy day. Do you have an occasion in mind? What you are thinking about is most likely a day that stands out, because you remember it with great joy and celebration—whether it be your wedding day, the birth of your children, or the day you accepted Christ. As we think back to happy days, it is also not hard to think back to not-so-happy days. The feelings of regret, sadness, or hurt that come with the bad days can leave us feeling anything but celebratory.
As this parable told by Jesus in Luke 15 comes to a close, we see the earthly father declaring his experience of a happy day worth celebrating despite the bad days that had already come and gone. In and through this story, we come to realize that not only does God celebrate the return home of his children, but he also wants his children to rejoice and give him praise for all that is good.
May we be challenged to intentionally commemorate out of the truth that we serve a good God who provides us with much to celebrate in his honor. He is a God who is all about faithfully providing days’ worth of happiness.
Choose to celebrate the good that God so faithfully provides.
Laura Walls is a wife, new mom, and assistant pastor at Waterline Church. She enjoys laughing with friends, sitting around a campfire, and trips to the local craft store.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
