Rejoice Always
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.” Philippians 4:$
Paul writes these words in his letter to the Philippians, and that is what immediately comes to my mind when I think of joy. It isn’t a choice – it’s a command. A mandate. A direct instruction. Just as Christians are called to faith, we are also called to joy.
Something else that comes to mind is that joy and happiness are not one in the same. While the Oxford dictionary defines joy as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness,” as a young Christian I remember learning that the type of joy we experience in Christ isn’t always going to come in times of happiness. Sometimes we have to be joyful in spite of our circumstances, and that’s what joy means for me as a believer.
When I considered what I wanted to share with you all in terms of joy, I thought about what brings me great joy right now. Immediately, I thought of my two-year-old son, Steven. Steven is a constant source of joy – he is hysterical, sweet, lively, a chatterbox, inquisitive, affectionate, loving, empathetic…obviously I could go on. Even in moments when he is challenging, Steven can bring me joy. This weekend I was trying to do a dance workout video, and Steven decided to do it with me. His little limbs moving best he could with the music, trying to match the steps, sometimes just jumping around filled me with that “great pleasure and happiness” of which the dictionary speaks. Yes, he was making my workout more difficult, but I was so happy to have him in that moment.
As I thought about the joy Steven brings, I remembered the challenges my husband and I faced when trying to conceive. We both felt the doubts, inadequacies, fears, and grief that comes from infertility issues. For two years, I had to find ways to be joyful in spite of how I felt about not having a baby – especially when close friends of mine were becoming pregnant. During those times, even when I was crying out to God for a child, I found solace in joy. I could be joyful that I had a loving husband who shared the burden, and didn’t blame me as the woman for our infertility. I could be joyful for the time that we spent just being a couple – we took wonderful trips together and enjoyed evenings out that I treasure. I threw myself into the joy of my work, particularly helping with the drama productions at the school where I teach. I served a friend who had suffered a terrible loss, spending time with her in a way I never could have done if I had a small child at home.
This past Sunday, Mike preached on the concept of faith, and in doing so, he spoke of faith in the moment. The idea that God uses what we have at the time to do His work – it is enough for Him. I think it’s the same with joy. We can have hope in the future, especially when times are hard, but joy is for the present. Joy is the balm for the aches as well as the enhancement for the good. Joy can help us see the sunrise when all seems dark.
It is easy to say Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice when things are going great. It’s much harder when things flat out suck. However, it is comforting to know that Paul knew a lot about suffering…and he wrote these words anyway. It is also a comfort to read what comes next in the passage:
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Paul knew that as humans, we tend to be anxious when we don’t know what is coming. I myself have been stressing myself out about what the future holds for our living situation. I love our house, but what will we do if we continue to grow our family? Should we move or should we build? How should we pay for either?
What this experience of planning for these words has reminded me is that I don’t need to be anxious. Instead, I should fill my thoughts and heart with joy. Joy in my adorable (and challenging) son, joy in having a home that I love, and joy in my current circumstances. As someone who constantly wants to look forward, this can be hard for me. However, I know that we have a loving Father who will take on my anxieties and replace them with joy and peace.
I hope you have a wonderful day filled with healing, renewal, and peace. And of course, joy!
Written by Grace Hoyos
