This week I had some beautiful moments of growth, change, and incredibly powerful, affirming conversations with people. I’ve felt on cloud nine, feeling this renewed sense of purpose and vigor. I’ve been feeling all week like I’ve finally, after an extremely difficult past year, that I’m really beginning to allow myself to breathe again, to share life with others, to laugh and step away from the anxiousness that had plagued me. Even though I’ve acquired some black eyes and a good metaphorical Jacob-like limp, I was beginning to walk again– even jog at times.

It’s shocking how something miniscule can change this.

One critical comment.

One thoughtless jab.

One accidental trip.

In the middle of all of this goodness we can sometimes get sidetracked. I write sidetracked because this is exactly what it is. Your journey, your movement and dynamic life is happening and sometimes something trips you up and gives you a painful jab.

And if you’re not careful you might be tempted to get absorbed in that and forget about the miraculous all around you.

There’s this story in Luke chapter 5 about some friends of a paralytic, someone deemed a sinner, an outcast, one who doesn’t belong. These friends know Jesus can reinstate him, give him life. So these friends lower him into this house while Jesus is speaking with the religious elite. When Jesus sees the beauty of the friend’s gesture we’re told he heals the man and says, “Go now, your sin is forgiven.”

Jesus essentially heals the man and reinstates him into society. He’s no longer an outsider! He’s accepted back!

And this beautiful moment that should be celebrated is instead brought low by the voices of discontent. They question Jesus. You can’t say that. You have to do it this way.

And they completely miss the miracle.

And this happens doesn’t it?

Either someone will miss your moments of growth and change and rather than celebrate with you seek to find fault or you, allowing those words to penetrate deep, you allow yourself to miss the miraculous person you’re becoming by fixating on the one negative comment. Your crying when you should be dancing and celebrating.

Either way, someone is missing the miraculous.

See, anyone can be a critic. It doesn’t take much to sit back and point the accusatory finger. It’s not hard to be a teacher of the law.

It’s not hard to turn that mirror into a torture device finding flaws and mistakes.

What IS hard is learning to practice the celebration of the miracle. What IS hard is learning to shake the dust and see the miraculous that’s been taking place in your journey.

See, some of us are seasoned veterans, we’ve spent our ten thousand hours practicing anxiety, fear, anger, doubt, criticism, superiority, and whatever else can be placed within the __________.

But what most of us really need is a different kind of practice. What if instead of practicing things that leave us empty and alone, more frustrated and at odds with everyone, what if instead we practiced joy? What if we practiced celebrating the miraculous rather than critically pointing fingers at others or mercilessly beating ourselves up?

What if today we practiced joy?