A few days ago I noticed a glitch that caused last Friday’s digest to not be sent (and by ​“glitch” I mean I forgot to hit Send). 

Seeing as Lent has begun and that digest was on celebration, I nearly scrapped it. But, I thought, for those of us who are scrupulous and hypercritical and prone to spiritual overachievement, perhaps the one thing we need to give up is taking ourselves so seriously.

So the celebration theme remains below. 

(Those looking for Lenten resources … see this article on submission from Kai Nilsen, and this list of recommended devotionals.)

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Even if we don’t ​“knock on wood,” many of us count our blessings hesitantly, with a nagging sense that something bad is coming. We might call it being realistic. We might call it risk analysis. Whatever we call it, our ​“what-ifs” keep us from entering wholeheartedly into celebration.

Kids don’t have that problem. Lacy Borgo says celebration comes naturally for them, at least for the ones in a healthy environment. Why? 

They feel safe. 

Dallas Willard often said, ​“The world is a perfectly safe place to be.”

That sounds preposterous. He had more than his fair share of pain and loss — how could he say such a thing? But he knew what he was saying. Here is the quote with more context: 

Those who repent and rely on Jesus enter a new world, the world of God, which is a perfectly safe place for anyone to be, no matter what.

Google tells me safe means ​“not likely to be harmed or lost.” That sounds familiar. Listen to Jesus in 10:28: ​“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

That is good news. That is a safety no one can take. That is a hope that can’t be shaken. That is a reason to celebrate. (And if you need help celebrating, here are some more words from Dallas on the subject.)