Rejoice in the Lord Always

Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Before I knew Christ as my Savior, I was always anxious. I had an understanding that God existed, I just didn't believe He was the God proclaimed in the Bible. Anxiety is hard to hide. It comes out in conversation and actions. I came to saving faith as a teenager preparing to leave home for the first time. I started reading my Bible for what felt like the first time ever. Verses I had seen dozens of times suddenly made sense. I repented. Repentance is a full realization that you have offended a holy God and a desire to not just turn from that sin but to put on righteousness (to do the right thing). This is not a desire that originates in man. This is a desire that God Himself places in a person's heart. It is regeneration: God taking our stony heart, hostile to Him and putting in us a new heart that seeks to follow Him.

Daily life is not often full of excitement. It is often dull and repetitive. I think maybe if your life is exciting at every moment, even that can become dreary as each day brings the same level of excitement. Life is full of any number of anxieties brought on by relationships, finances, a fear of the future, etc. The Bible does not tell us to rejoice only during the highs but we are to also rejoice in the lowest lows. This is only possible through an understanding of who Christ is, what He has done, and what is to come in future glory. The peace of God often doesn't make sense. My daughter's Sunday school teacher years ago was a beautiful young woman diagnosed with cancer. She was the picture of joy. She was in pain often. She knew her life would probably not be long. But she knew and loved Christ. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Lizzie, you know what I mean. Her present circumstances were nothing compared to what awaited her, to where she is now, free from pain and rejoicing with full joy in the presence of her Savior. I often think of Lizzie when I think of someone rejoicing regardless of circumstances. She had the peace of God that surpassed all understanding.

And then I think of Christ, who suffered beyond what I can even comprehend. He was abused, hated, despised, rejected. The people He came to save were the ones that killed Him. He endured all that for the JOY set before Him. He knew what was coming. We too know what is coming. Do not fret for the future of your children. It is no mistake that you were born during this point in history. It is no mistake that your children were born at this point in history. Life will be hard. There's a lot of information consistently at our fingertips. It's hard to process everything or to even know what to trust. Point your kids to Christ. Teach them. Be an example for them, and then trust God to do His work in their hearts. Hide God's Word in your heart and be wise. If you know the Savior, then anything life hurls at you can be tackled. Pray when you feel like it. Pray especially when you don't. He is near, my friends ❤.