Joy In This World

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

It's easy to rejoice when our circumstances are favorable and life seems to make sense, but to be called to have joy in the face of loss and uncertainty can feel like a cruel impossibility. Fortunately, this call is not a command but an invitation. We are not called to pretend our sorrows and difficulties don't exist, but to place them in the only hands that have the power to hold them - and us - and take comfort in knowing that we are never alone in our suffering. That joy is a fruit (or result) of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) doesn't imply a magical erasure of negative feelings, but an assurance that God's presence encourages, supports, and strengthens us as we let go of our will. Consider joy, not as a feeling, but as a decision - a practice - to live in a continual state of trust and surrender to the God who has been faithful, is faithful, will be faithful. Rejoice!

3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. 5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

(Psalm 126:3-6)