The Secret of Rejoicing
At the funeral of my dear friend, Joyce Hubbell last week, someone stated, "Joyce chose to rejoice.."
The longer I live, the more I’m convinced it is, indeed, a choice to rejoice.
It’s commonly believed that rejoicing is just a response. Certainly, there is some truth to that perspective. If my team wins the game, I rejoice. If I receive some unexpected money, I rejoice. If I experience a happy event (such as a marriage or birth of a new baby) I rejoice.
However, rejoicing goes far beyond the emotional response to life’s happenings.
If it’s only a response to momentary events – then it comes and goes – rises and falls – depending on what’s happening now. That kind of thinking makes our attitude a roller coaster – up one minute and down the next.
The Bible says to “Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16.) It also says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4.) Now, the Bible does not command us to do the impossible. These verses of Scripture tell us to rejoice continuously – so it must be possible to do so.
The Bible assumes that rejoicing goes deeper than our circumstance and situation. Take a look sometime at the verses in the Bible that speak of joy and rejoicing. It permeates the whole Book! As C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
I’ve noticed that people like Joyce, who demonstrate deep joy, have often gone through much heartache and suffering. They have learned the secret of choosing an attitude of rejoicing rather than one of grumbling and complaint.
If you want to find something to complain about – you’ll find it.
If you want to find something to rejoice over – you’ll find it.
You get what you look for! To rejoice is a choice.
Look beyond the present difficulty to the future hope. Seek the solution rather than the problem. Focus on what is rather than what is not. Whatever comes, make the choice to rejoice today!
It’s commonly believed that rejoicing is just a response. Certainly, there is some truth to that perspective. If my team wins the game, I rejoice. If I receive some unexpected money, I rejoice. If I experience a happy event (such as a marriage or birth of a new baby) I rejoice.
However, rejoicing goes far beyond the emotional response to life’s happenings.
If it’s only a response to momentary events – then it comes and goes – rises and falls – depending on what’s happening now. That kind of thinking makes our attitude a roller coaster – up one minute and down the next.
The Bible says to “Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16.) It also says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4.) Now, the Bible does not command us to do the impossible. These verses of Scripture tell us to rejoice continuously – so it must be possible to do so.
The Bible assumes that rejoicing goes deeper than our circumstance and situation. Take a look sometime at the verses in the Bible that speak of joy and rejoicing. It permeates the whole Book! As C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
I’ve noticed that people like Joyce, who demonstrate deep joy, have often gone through much heartache and suffering. They have learned the secret of choosing an attitude of rejoicing rather than one of grumbling and complaint.
If you want to find something to complain about – you’ll find it.
If you want to find something to rejoice over – you’ll find it.
You get what you look for! To rejoice is a choice.
Look beyond the present difficulty to the future hope. Seek the solution rather than the problem. Focus on what is rather than what is not. Whatever comes, make the choice to rejoice today!
I did a word study of joy, including rejoice, which took me some two years to complete (interruptions and distractions, etc.). I learned a lot. Rejoicing is indeed a choice to believe that, as bad as things are right now, they will eventually work out for our good. Thus, joy is a natural fruit of the Spirit, which is given in response to genuine faith in Jesus to save. That faith believes that even death cannot stop God's plan for good, even if that good won't be realized until we are welcomed into heaven.
ReplyDeleteI blogged through my word study. You can find it starting here: http://goo.gl/oWDBg