CREED, Rebuilding Your Family FortressSample

8. Joy in the House

All work and no play… well you know what they say….

During our time in the Book of Nehemiah we saw what is possible when a man dedicates himself to a cause and people. As men, we are to be dedicated to our families as Nehemiah was dedicated to Jerusalem. With courage, responsibility, excellence, enthusiasm, and devotion, we too can have a CREED to fortify ourselves and our families to be stronger, safer, and more satisfied under God’s covering.

However, households don’t only need a General, but a champion as well. If we only work on building a solid household, but never enjoy it ourselves, our families might end up needing us, but not necessarily wanting us. Guys let’s not take the fun out of the fundamentals here. We must remember to celebrate as well as we guide.

In this chapter we see the first assembly, as well as the first festival, take place after Israel’s captivity. Realizing how far they drifted and how long it’s been since they gathered in God’s name, the people were saddened and emotional. But they were back again, and this was cause for celebration as Ezra and Nehemiah reminded them. Hence the famous verse, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Verse 10).

But how can the joy of the Lord be our strength? Simply put, gratitude. Gratitude is a grateful attitude. It’s an attitude that keeps us focused on the good things in life we do have, even though we possibly don’t deserve them. You might not eat a five-star dinner every night, but you can be grateful you have dinner every night. Your kids might not be the star players on the team, but they play their hearts out every time. You might not be the CEO of a successful company, but you’re the father to a healthy and godly family. You might not have a family (yet), but you might have friends and fellow brothers in Christ who support you like family.

Practice gratitude. This is how you become a joyful man of God, and in that you and your family may find strength.

Also, start finding reasons to celebrate things with your family and friends. Life is tough enough as it is, and a good feast or simple gathering every now and again keeps everyone’s morale up to face another day. If your kids played the last game of the season, go out for milkshakes to celebrate their health, participation, and persistence in their sport. When the school year comes to an end, and you’re not able to go on holiday, still do something fun, even if it’s just for an hour. If you or your wife had a tough day, or tough week, celebrate that you made it and go out to dinner.

Obviously, everyone knows to celebrate the big occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. But we also need to celebrate the good little things in our lives. Speaking of little things, celebrations don’t always have to be extravagant, but they do need to be intentional. Everything about a meaningful celebration is built upon the attitude within which it’s done. Therefore, joy brings strength to all occasions, and joy is developed through the consistent practice of gratitude.

Inspect your own walls:

1. What stood out most to you about the way the Israelites celebrated in this chapter?

2. How have you previously celebrated things in your life, as a family or individual, even if not being able to do something extravagant?

3. What are the things in life that you are grateful for and want to celebrate as family or individual regularly? How can you go about doing that? Pray about it.