1 year of marriage…

6 months of sobriety…

A lesson completed…

A chapter finished…

A step in physical therapy…

These are what we call milestones. They may not be a big deal to people who don’t know the whole story behind them, but for those who do, these milestones are something to celebrate. They represent a ton of hard work and an outpouring of grace from God.

Just because we may still have a long way to go doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate progress along the way.

The book of Ezra in the Bible tells the story of some folks who believed worship could be restored in the city of Jerusalem, even though it had been spiritually dormant for decades. The Temple had been ransacked and most people probably thought it would never be up and running again.

But there’s a big difference between being dormant and being dead. God woke the spirit of His people and against all odds they began the beautifully hard process of rebuilding.

It’s funny though, because they had only gotten as far as finishing the foundation of the Temple when they stopped to sing and celebrate. The simple chorus went like this:

“He [God] is good! His faithful love endures forever!'” -Ezra 3:11

Notice, they were not even done with the whole project yet, but they stopped to celebrate a milestone. Even though there was a whole bunch of work yet to be done, what had been done already was significant enough to savor for a minute. They had taken a single big step, so they partied and praised the God who made it possible.

God provides. He is good and faithful. Let’s celebrate Him as we reach our various milestones. Get some balloons. Go to your favorite restaurant. Have ice cream.

By the way, this is the #100th devotion posted at Devotions on the Run – praise God. Maybe my wife will take me to the Cheesecake Factory ; )

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.