John Ortberg writes about FTT-Failure to Thrive.[i] He says his wife, a nurse, first introduced him to these three letters. She would write FTT on the chart of an infant who was unable to gain weight or grow. Sometimes the failure to thrive was the result of the parent or care-giver being depressed and passing that depression on to the newborn. Sometimes it was caused by something being wrong in the infant’s metabolism. It was a diagnosis which pointed to the fact that the newborn had failed to thrive. The infant was alive but not thriving. Ortberg suggests that this is the basic human condition: failure to thrive. Often we are alive, but we are not thriving.
The spiritual discipline of celebrations moves us from surviving to thriving. It is an important pathway to using possessions in ways that glorify God. Because our joy is often less than it ought to be, we seek joy and contentment in possessions. The satisfaction they bring, however, is fleeting. What is needed is a way to connect with the abundant and never-ending satisfaction available in God. When we experience this, we no longer seek contentment from things we own or wish to own.
Richard Foster points to the celebratory spirit of Jesus:[ii] “Jesus rejoiced so fully in life that he was accused of being a winebibber and a glutton. Many of us lead such sour lives that we cannot possibly be accused of such things.” Jesus is our perfect model regarding celebration.
Author Dennis Prager once asked a deeply religious man if he considered himself a truly pious person.[iii] The man said he did not. He said that he didn’t think he was joyful enough to be considered truly pious. A truly pious person, the man remarked, will be full of joy. He went on to suggest that his lack of joy and the lack of joy of many Christians is a threat to the Christian faith. In response, Prager wrote these words: He was right; in fact, unhappy religious people pose a real challenge to faith. If their faith is so impressive, why aren’t these devoted adherents happy? There are only two possible reasons: either they are not practicing their faith correctly, or they are practicing their faith correctly and the religion itself is not conducive to happiness. Most outsiders assume the latter reason. Unhappy religious people should therefore think about how important being happy is—if not for themselves, then for the sake of their religion. Unhappy, let alone angry, religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than do all the arguments of atheists. Celebration and joy are not only important for our own spiritual health. They are also some of the best ways of testifying to the validity of the Christian faith.
In one sense, celebration is part of every spiritual discipline. Foster writes this:[iv] “Celebration is central to all the Spiritual Disciplines. Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees. Every Discipline should be characterized by carefree gaiety and a sense of thanksgiving.” Thus, celebration is really the capstone for all the disciplines we’ve explored to this point. It can be woven into the other eleven spiritual habits which we’ve experienced while reading this book.
In another sense, however, celebration is a distinct discipline. There are specific things we can to do learn celebration and to nurture joy. Take ten minutes today and do something you really enjoy doing. Give yourself permission to indulge in the satisfaction that activity brings. Give praise to God and express your gratitude to him.
[i] John Ortberg, “Ministry and FTT,” LeadershipJournal.net (June 2008).
[ii] Richard Foster Celebration of Discipline Revised and Expanded (Harper & Row, 1978), 196.
[iii] Dennis Prager, Happiness Is a Serious Problem (Regan Books, 1998), 4.
[iv] Richard Foster Celebration of Discipline Revised and Expanded (Harper & Row, 1978), 191.
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