I am a celebrator. My family chuckles at how excited I get about such a wide variety of things:
- A freshly painted wall
- A good movie
- A delicious meal
- A gorgeous sunset
- Christmas presents
- An accomplishment
- An event
- God’s word
Some say: I go over the top. I say: I’m a celebrator.
The woman of the bible we are highlighting next is Miriam. She was the older sister of Moses (find her story in Exodus). As his sister, she experienced many significant events:
- As he floated down the river in a basket as a baby, she trailed along and then took the opportunity to broker a deal with Pharoah’s daughter. She was very resourceful.
- She watched from afar as her baby brother grew up in the palace.
- She was a prophetess- only 1 of 5 women in the Bible. She was a leader.
- She heard about him killing an Egyptian and running away. I’m sure she missed him when he was gone for 40 years.
- I wonder what she thought when he returned married and called by God. I wonder what she thought.
- She lived through the ten plagues and the massive exodus of the Hebrews who had been in slavery for 430 years.
- She walked on the dry ground with the Red Sea divided on each side.
- And then, she was free from Egyptian rule. For the first time, she experienced freedom. And guess what she did?
She danced and sang of God’s goodness. She got out her tambourine and led the women to worship. God had just done a miraculous thing. She took the moment and celebrated what God had done…even when the future was fuzzy.
She celebrated even though she didn’t know exactly how it would all play out.
She celebrated even though she didn’t have all the details of God’s plans.
She celebrated even though she was stepping out into the unknown.
She celebrated even though she had lived through many challenges and losses.
She celebrated even though generational slavery would have massive effects for the rest of her lifetime. How do you not think like one still in captivity all those years?
She celebrated even though the future was fuzzy because God is good.
Many only celebrate when they know the whole story, see “the why” of God’s work, or anticipate the presumed hoped-for results.
The Hebrews were free for the first time in 430 years. FREE! Moses celebrated and then Miriam (find her song in Exodus 15). Miriam celebrated because she believed in God’s presence. She trusted him and knew he would take care of them. He as he always is…he was faithful and showed up every step of the way.
As leaders, we can learn something from Miriam: celebrating God’s goodness even when the future is fuzzy.
The goodness of God is evident even when your story isn’t complete, even when you are stepping into the unknown, even when you are doing something new, even when you don’t know the steps ahead or have clarity on what to do next, even when you have suffered a devastating blow, or even when you are feeling pain and loss. God is good because he is. God is love. His goodness and love cannot be dissected. He is working in you and your situation. He has a plan with your best in mind. And simply because of that, we can celebrate.
Take a moment today, grab a tambourine, and celebrate.