Rejoice Always

[4 min read]

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        In this post, I want to discuss Paul's first instruction from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB - rejoice always. At first glance, this command seems easy enough. But if you don't understand what it means to rejoice - or to be joyful - you might think that Paul is telling us to stand around like grinning idiots. (But in light of recent news, would that even be so bad?) I still remember Bobby McFerrin's song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Man, did I get sick of listening to that song. But when you did (and I know you're humming it under your breath ;-) ), you couldn't help but smile a little bit.

        However, the past several weeks have been a bit of a personal challenge for me in the "joy" department. Maybe I should have been listening to McFerrin's advice. Yet sometimes, I find it easier to stop and first be thankful over trying to be joyful, but that is for another post. All I can think about are the things that block my joy. I'm going to start with things that keep me from always rejoicing.

        Interestingly enough, it seems to be little things that block my joy. Because of those little things, when held long enough, become very heavy things. I recently saw a video of a philosophy teacher talking about how much a can of soda weighs. His students start calling out answers: 16 ounces, 12 ounces, 1 pound. He continues by saying that the actual weight of the soda is immaterial. As he holds the can in his hand, the weight is nothing. But if he holds the can for an hour, his arm starts to hurt. If he continues holding the can throughout the day, his arm becomes even more tired and painful. Isn't this like the little things that bring us down daily? So how do we overcome?

        A few days ago, my day began like many others, with a cup of coffee, some prayer time and devotional reading. And then I opened my first email.  My "can of coke" just got a bit heavier. Then I headed into the office. While I was driving, I called into a conference bridge to handle one of my many daily meetings and the call kept getting disconnected. A bit heavier. I pulled into Taco Cabana to get a few breakfast tacos and a glass of unsweet tea. (For those of you who don't know me, I gave up sweet tea years ago and only drink unsweet with lemon. Now, I really can't stand the taste of sweet tea.) The young man at the drive-through handed me my tea, while we waited on the tacos. So I unwrapped my straw and took my first sip. Uggghhh! Sweet tea! I promptly handed back the tea and asked for unsweet tea. When he returned with my tea, this time correctly unsweet, he also had my bag of tacos. So I pulled out of the drive-through and got back on the highway. I reached in the bag for my first taco and found only two, where I had ordered three. And the two that I had, weren't even tacos that I had ordered. I could go on, but I think you get the point. In the end, it took two more trips back to TC to get my correct breakfast order. Needless to say, my "can of coke" was weighing a lot in my hand, now, and it wasn't even 10 am.

        How, in one short morning, could I go from a happy time with God to carrying around a 2-ton can of coke? How could all of these little items steal my joy? Why did I let these seemingly small things bring me down? Without working to overcome, I think it's very easy to let small things get big. I didn't wake up that morning and say "I want to have a crappy day!" But at the same time, I didn't swat these "gnats", I held on to them.

        I think part of the way we stay in an attitude of joy, is to first be thankful for what we have and give thanks to the One who provides. Second, I think we need to swat the "gnats", so to speak, and not let them become so burdensome that they take over our mind, our thinking, our attitude. I even think, though I might seem a bit naïve, that we need to turn off sources of negativity; the news, the radio, the TV, the internet, Facebook - and find something that sparks joy in our hearts and minds. If I first seek joy, the dark doesn't seem so bad.

       Last December, I went to a children's ministry conference with my wife. I didn't want to be there, but I had made a commitment to her that I would go. My attitude wasn't what you would call positive. The band was too loud. They sang too high. I had a headache. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. But then the guest speaker got up to talk and started talking about where our source of joy comes from. Where we are rooted - is it in our work, our families, our children that we minister too? If so, then we are nothing more than leeches, sucking the joy out of those that we "find" joy in. Rather, he suggested, we should root ourselves in God, the source of all of our joy. And it becomes an endless supply.

        After that weekend, I was in such a joyful mindset, that nothing brought me down for over two weeks. Kids acting up in school - not a problem. Family arguing at home - not a problem. Church members complaining and gossiping - not a problem. I had somehow found the "secret" and was filled with His joy.

        What do you find joy in? What is your source of joy?

        May I suggest you start with Father God?

Keep rejoicing, always.

~~Ken

Part 1 of this series: Knowing God's Will
Part 3 of this series: Pray Without Ceasing
Part 4 of this series: In Everything Give Thanks