Celebrating other peoples Paradise!

I am the first to admit that I LOVE spending money on myself. When we get paid I love taking a trip to the mall and buying something nice for myself. After all, my love language is gifts and even I can make myself happy with a good ol handbag! ;) With that being said, I really do not like spending money on others. Especially when it seems to be often. I also know that it feels so good when someone celebrates me for whatever the reason may be. (Baby shower, birthday, etc.) I know that may sound selfish but it is the truth. $100-$200 on others or myself and my family? Hmmmm…. Coach purse please?

But the truth is it is so important to celebrate others and whatever good thing they have going on in their life. Whatever Paradise they may be experiencing. It makes people feel loved. Like really loved. It makes others feel you truly care about that baby or about their marriage. Recently we have had multiple celebrations within our friend group and let me tell you it gets expensive! From baby showers to bridal showers to birthday parties it seems we are always spending money on others. Which also means less money in the bank for us. But guess what? That’s okay! You cannot take money with you when you go. You CAN give people memories that will last for the rest of their life. You can make people feel loved! Is there a better feeling?

For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.Pslam 49:17

12938322_10153594545146089_8128713822266885481_n

12970988_10153592830116089_6479134427740130802_o

I have learned some very important lessons when hosting events for others. First of all, do not volunteer for every single event. You WILL get burnt out. At one point in our life I was volunteering for baby meals, hosting baby showers, birthday parties, etc. It seemed like we were giving giving giving. (Both our time and our money) After about six months this momma was worn out. I felt I was getting taken advantage of and people were coming to expect those things from me. Whether this was the truth or not it wore me out. - Limit yourself. You are one person and you cannot host events for every single person in your life. Let others take the lead at times and ask for help!

The other thing I learned is setting a budget. This is SOOOOOOOO important. It is super easy to walk into Party City and drop $100 on decorations because everything was super adorable and for the party to be PERFECT you needed that margarita tablecloth and matching plates. No, Linda. Ask for others to bring something to share, splitting the cost on food.

The last thing is to not have high expectations for whatever event it is. Do not expect your party to look like a Pinterest party. (If it does, awesome. Come decorate for me) Do not expect people to come to everything. Even if it seems important to you, it will not be a priority for others and that’s OK. I have almost lost friends because I expected them to have the same feelings and priorities as myself. That is not reality and you will be let down every time.

It is important to realize why you are putting on a event for someone. It is not for YOU. It is not for your glory. It is to make someone feel special, to make them feel loved. Set your expectations to the side and just do the best you can do. That person will appreciate you celebrating their paradise and pass along the Aloha.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31