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Rejoice!

             Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

                This is one of those passages that we seem to like to share with other people, but we’re not so fond of having others mention to us. Sometimes, it seems as if others use it to browbeat us, and sometimes, they seem to do it so that they can’t be called upon to step in to comfort, encourage, or otherwise help us. In a sense, those who reprimand us to rejoice, not be anxious, ask God, and be thankful are right. We can make decisions and take actions that lead us toward those goals.  Sometimes, we do need the reminder, but it would really help if those giving the reminder remembered to let their gentleness be evident to all.

                None of that requires that we look at the passage. Sometimes, we look at the verses as separate concepts. We’re to rejoice. We’re to be gentle. We’re not to be anxious, but to pray and give thanks. And then, magically, peace will descend upon us. The reality is that they are part of the formula for peace, but it’s not immediate or automatic. We may have to repeat the process several times, not because God can’t be bothered to help us, but because we hold on to pain, anger, anxiety, resentment, fear, etc. Many years ago, someone told me that when I make a decision, I don’t move on and act on it, I start over.

I remember a time when I told God that I wanted Him to take something (I forget what) but I couldn’t let go of it. I held my clenched fists out to represent what I was doing. There were days when I could open one hand but not the other, or open one hand part way before closing it again. Eventually, I was able to open both hands on the same day. Gaining peace can take time.

                And now, I’m in a different storm, with too much time between now and then to run on my gerbil wheel and run. That’s why I need today’s passage, because I need to pay attention to what I’m doing on my gerbil wheel. I need to teach myself the newish habits found in these verses.

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