the rise of the disco ball. 2023.

CELEBRATE

disco balls have always been fascinating to me. you take a childhood toy, essentially, an object of everyday life, a circle, a ball, and cover it in broken pieces of glass. who the heck thought of that for the first time?

disco balls, in their broken state, catch the smallest bit of light and cast it in small, intentional places all around it. disco balls represent brokenness as much as they represent the life of the party. they hang in mid-air, stuck in space and time, giving their all into spreading light, reflecting a joy that comes from their brokenness. sounds like a metaphor is building, right?

my love of disco balls started after my family went to a debutante party in my hometown. the party was Studio 54 themed, so naturally, layered gowns twirled and champagne classes clinked and stilettos worn by girls who didn’t know how to walk in them made their way around the room, all reflected in passing by the small, cheap shiny balls used as decor around the room. after the party, we snatched a few of those balls, and somehow, one of them ended up in my car. I hung it on my rearview mirror. as a pretty rowdy driver, I thought it was pretty funny when I would turn really sharply and the disco ball would smack the windshield or person next to me (no one else thought this was funny… I wonder why).

fast forward a few months, the disco ball was the highlight of my day (as well as anyone who rode in my car). getting in the car every morning, the disco ball had already caught and delivered light to every corner of my car. small squares of light shivered in the sunrise. as I drove, I spun the ball round and round, watching the shiny, odd little circle fill with joy and explode with dance as my music filled the quiet dorm parking lot. my new little friend embraced her uniqueness, accepting that maybe she wasn’t a bouncy ball to play with. maybe she wasn’t a wheel on a car, a circle cake at a birthday party, or a balloon. she was uniquely herself, accepting her quiet role of spreading light and celebrating every piece of goodness… every piece of light… that came near.

and thus my disco ball metaphor! we are broken. we are not anywhere near perfect, and we’re not expected to be. we are fallen in sin and in the darkness of this world. but inside of us is LIGHT! and JOY to the full. when we step outside of our world of comparison and acknowledge the light all around us, we can celebrate our salvation by singing, dancing, and spreading the joy inside of us to the furthest corners of darkness. life can be hard, but we have every reason to sing. to glorify. to spin round and round the quiet parking lot that we were place in.

the disco ball has no light of its own. but when Christ casts his eternal Light and everlasting joy upon us, we have reason to dance. He placed you where you are for a reason. and there is always a reason to celebrate.

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the disco ball metaphor has been spinning (puns) around my head for the last few weeks, which led to a total thought explosion of my recent thoughts combined with my new years resolution. following are the word vomit/resolutions. join me in challenging your negative and bitter mindset and replacing it with Truth.

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LIVE INTENTIONALLY

you are here for a reason. duh. you hear that all the time. but no, you’re right where you are in life for a reason. in those classes. in that house. with that roommate. sitting next to that person on the bus. the Lord placed you there with all your gifts and talents and dreams… so why not take advantage! pour everything you have into this moment. put down your phone and be present. talk to the person who intimidates you. embrace your hobbies and passions, even if other people are way better than you at them! try new recipes. you aren’t expected to be perfect. live this intentional life designed for you by an intentional God.

CELEBRATE

our God has been so faithful. we have so much to celebrate. at the very least, sun on our faces and working, healthy bodies. air in our lungs. green trees and the smell of coffee drifting through the air. even more, a loving family, the access to education, and clean water. and, what should daily blow our minds, a Father who calls us his own and rejoicing over us! we have much to rejoice over. stop complaining, and sing! stop judging, and rejoice over our differences! celebrate because we have been celebrated (zephaniah 3:17). we have been given much. it’s time to dance.