Why Celebrating Minor Victories Might Be More Harmful than You Think
There’s a new “thing” – it’s throwing yourself a party to celebrate “minor victories.” In a recent article in USA Today, a 27-year-old social media content creator reflected that birthdays are usually “lowkey,” and that she tended to forget life’s major milestones. So, when she went on a “fantastic” date, she felt she had something worth commemorating.
Must have been some date.
In her mind, it was. It was the first time a date had led to having sex in more than a year, so she and her friends threw an “anti-celibacy party” to honor the moment. It featured a custom pink cake with the phrase “1 Year Celibacy” and an “X” written over it. Her Instagram video marking the occasion has so far received nearly 700,000 views. Many who commented on the post said that it had inspired them to celebrate their own “minor victories” as well.
“I personally have just been trying to put myself out there and experience things,” the influencer wrote, “and that was worth celebrating.” She then added, “Something I love about this generation is just everybody is so unserious, and it brings so much more joy just back into little things and minor victories in life.”
The whole event, she reflected, was about “encouraging new experiences, encouraging open-mindedness as well and just opening yourself up to saying yes to the world sometimes.”
The focus of the article was on the novelty of throwing parties for yourself, making space for joy in your life, and having “fun for no other reason than to just enjoy yourself.”
Missing was what, exactly, she had said “Yes” to the world about.
Now let’s be clear. Sex is not something alien to God or His followers—it is, instead, a gift. As Philip Yancey once wrote:
Having studied some anatomy, I marvel at God laboring over the physiology of sex: the soft parts, the moist parts, the millions of nerve cells sensitive to pressure and pain yet also capable of producing pleasure, the intricacies of erectile tissue, the economical and ironical combination of organs for excretion and reproduction, the blending of visual appeal and mechanical design. As the zoologists remind us, in comparison with every other species the human is bountifully endowed.
Yet it is precisely because of the God-given, sacred nature of sex that it is meant to be pursued and protected by the covenant of marriage. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “There is more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact... the two become one” (I Corinthians 6:16, Msg). Paul further added that, as a result, “we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never ‘become one’” (I Corinthians 6:17-18, Msg).
There is no doubt that this is an entirely different perspective on sex and sexual intimacy than the “world” offers for moral consumption. And we haven’t even discussed the view of sex in relation to procreation.
Which brings up another aspect of that story. Namely, that she’s already planning another party for one of her friends.
The occasion?
Her friend just found out she’s not pregnant.
James Emery White
Sources
Charles Trepany, “She threw an ‘anti-celibacy’ party. It’s inspiring people to celebrate ‘minor victories.’” USA Today, April 4, 2025, read online.
Philip Yancey, Rumors of Another World.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/silverkblack
Published Date: April 10, 2025
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
Originally published April 10, 2025.
