July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong uttered the famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Neil walked on the moon. THE MOON! It was small steps that were celebrated. He didn’t run hundreds of yards. We celebrated a small step. And, still today, it is considered a massive feat. But, “why don’t we celebrate the small things anymore?”
I can’t help but think of when my kids were little. We celebrated ALL of the little things. The first time our baby slept through the night. The first time he smiled. His first giggle. His first word. The first crawl. The first step. The first sleep through the night. In the scheme of life, these are not earth-shattering events, but we celebrated them!
As life moved on, “small things” became “bigger things”. Potty training. Ditching the diapers, and staying dry. The first day of school. The first recital. The first base hit. The first sleep over. (Remember how big of a deal that was?) Then, those little things just kept getting bigger. The first day of middle school. High school. Drivers ed. Prom. Graduation. (I could keep going) The bigger the event, the bigger the celebration.
Why do we stop celebrating the small things? The move from 3rd chair to 2nd chair in band. Making the team. Getting a part in the play? Small things MATTER!
Want proof? Ask a runner. Literal seconds make a difference. If you’re trying to qualify for Boston Marathon, you can miss the cut by a second. On the other hand, if you run a race and beat your personal record by 1 second, it’s something to be celebrated! You’ll get high fives, and cheers from your friends. ONE. SINGLE. SECOND. Oh yeah!
As we get older, we forget to celebrate. I encourage you to look at your current situation and see what you can celebrate. You’re family. Your job. Your interest rate dropping. Sobriety. Not going to “that website”.
How about your faith? Are you celebrating growth in your faith? Maybe you’ve started praying for the first time in years. Listening to Christian music. Attending church. Reading your Bible? In the Bible, Hebrews 6:1 says, “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity…” Luke 17:5 says, “…increase our faith“. These are things to celebrate! But why don’t we? A step toward God is always something to celebrate!
You don’t have to walk on the moon to find something to celebrate! Today, I encourage you to celebrate things worth celebrating. A healing. Your growth. Your fur baby. Your job. Your mechanic who just told you that your car is running great. Find the small thing in your life, and celebrate. Buy a pinata if you need too!
Celebrate small things. Go make a difference. Always, Run By Faith.
TommyRunByFaith 