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Rejoice In The Lord?

             Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

Rejoice? On the day after the anniversary of 9/11? With all that’s going wrong in the world, the country, the state, the county, the city, the neighborhood, and our homes? Rejoice? Or let’s bring it down to the minor stuff: more than 36 canning lids and an open bowl of ketchup hitting the floor, six hours of work on a knee that is threatening to strike and a few other joints listening in and it’s the end of the day and I’m just tired. Rejoice? A sick family member needing 24/7 help? A medical diagnosis that’s not someone else’s? A family member walking away. Financial struggles? Rejoice? Rejoice?

          OK, the good Sunday School answers… God is still God. God has promised to work all things together for good for us. It builds our character. It’s all temporary and eternity looms large and wonderful. Good answers. Put them on the shelf for a moment. What happens to your attitude when you watch children and/or animals playing? What happens when you focus your attention on a beautiful natural scene or listen to really good music? What happens when you watch a team you like win? Or when you get engrossed in your hobby? Or when you take a nice long walk that gets you beyond the “lecturing people who aren’t there” point?

          Perhaps not every time, but often, the negative energy can be transformed into a positive energy or it can be used up so the positive can replace it. It depends on how hard we hold on to the negative, but given a chance, the positive can take over. But even if it doesn’t, there’s a question coming to mind as I think about this. Why not rejoice? I’m not saying to pretend that everything’s wonderful, but the reality is that – often – things aren’t nearly as bad as we feel they are, and feelings are the core of the situation.

          And part of the way that the negative can be transformed or replaced is through focusing on the Lord. We are called to rejoice in Him, not in our circumstances. It’s not necessarily an easy choice but the first step is to realize there is a choice. We can rejoice in the Lord always – if we practice rejoicing in the Lord now.

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