Rejoice Always
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything, give thanks.” // 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
To be completely honest, I wanted this to be the after post. The one where I got to say: wow, that was a doozy of a season, and I’m so grateful that seasons have changed; now here’s how to wait well if you’re in a doozy of a season. This is not that post. This is the one where I get to say: this is still a doozy of a season, and I’m not sure if I’m at the beginning or somewhere in the middle or getting close to the end, but here’s how Jesus has taught me to find joy in every bit of it.
As Jake and I move toward the five-year mark of hoping for a baby, I can’t help but think about the spring-of-2014 Asha. Sweet thing would not have felt one ounce of joy had someone told her she’d be 56 months down the road with no end in sight. But here sits fall-of-2018 Asha, and this long road has taught her what it truly means to rejoice always.
Before I go any further (and yes, I Googled whether “further” or “farther” was correct), I want to make sure you’re clear that I’m not talking about the kind of “joy” that looks like painting on a fake smile and pretending everything’s A-OK when your heart is actually hard as a rock and everything is in fact NOT A-OK. (Been there, done that.) I’m talking about deep down, for real JOY. Yes, there are days when I scream and cry and cuss and pout and doubt and fear and judge. And yes, there are days when so much nastiness comes out of my heart it takes me by surprise. But our Creator can handle it all. And if we give it all to him, he trades us his joy.
It’s downright impossible to fully capture how gorgeous this piece is. Ashley Purser is an insanely-talented lady, y’all, and my living room wall is oh-so-pretty.
In this season of waiting, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 has been the verse that’s given me vision and hope.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything, give thanks.
In these short and sweet verses, Paul gives simple and significant ways to live our best lives - on the best days and especially on the worst. What I have found to be true is that when I fully dig in to cultivating these truths each day, there is so much fruit to be found.
Rejoicing always looks like turning to Jesus.
Praying without ceasing looks like letting love lead.
Giving thanks in everything looks like finding the gift.
Rejoice always - Turn to Jesus
It’s human nature to want to share our lives with those closest to us. The silly things and the significant things. You’re watching a movie and something scary or sad or wonderful or wild happens, what do you do? You turn to the person next to you with wide eyes or teary eyes or eyes crinkled with laughter and say, “did you see that?!” Same thing happens when we’re walking down the street and see someone wearing a funny hat or pass an old couple holding hands. Jesus wants to be that person we turn to, always.
Rejoicing always looks like turning to Jesus when something fantastic happens and when something downright awful happens. Picture him next to you always; and feel the freedom to turn your head, throw up your hands, and share with him always. Rejoicing always doesn’t mean always being happy. It means trusting that he is a good God who is always about redemption. On the best days, we rejoice by acknowledging his goodness and being grateful that we get to see beauty and glory on full display. And on the worst days, we rejoice by acknowledging his goodness, admitting that it is hard to find right now, and trusting that there is a plan to bring beauty from the ashes.
Pray without ceasing - Let love lead
Praying without ceasing has allowed me to let love lead instead of fear. We face so many questions and choices each day, and it can be so difficult to make a decision. There are times I’ve been faced with a choice to make and just felt so stuck. But when I stripped away all the swirling thoughts and tried to get down to the root of my motivation for leaning one way or another, I often found that fear was driving my decisions. Fear of failure, fear of making the wrong choice, fear, fear, fear. God does not lead with fear. He leads with love, and we are called to let love lead us too. Praying without ceasing keeps us connected to Love itself because God is love. And when we are connected to love, it frees our hearts from being led by fear.
In everything, give thanks - Find the gift
Giving thanks in everything - everything - has given me the ability to find the gifts along the way. There is always a gift, my friends. Some seasons of suffering come with their own specific gifts, but I believe there are many gifts that come with every kind of trial.
The gift of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. We are part of God’s eternal story, the story of the world that’s been unfolding since the beginning of time. Every part of our story has been intricately woven into the story of the redemption of the world - every delay and disappointment, every sunny day and celebration. Giving thanks for it all is the best way to remember that there is so much more going on than we could ever realize. How incredible is that?
The gift of giving to someone else. Our stories are ours, but they are not just for us. We don’t get to choose our stories, but we can choose to allow God to use them for so. much. good. Our pastor says this all the time because it is so very true: Your story told truthfully is good news to those who hear it. We all have a story - whether it’s infertility, loss, addiction, eating disorder, sickness, divorce, financial struggles, the list goes on and on. And there is someone who is going through the same thing who needs to hear from you. “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times, so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” // 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 I mean, how great is that?
I think the umbrella truth under which all of this falls is this: we have control of nothing… except for how we respond to what God ordains or allows in our lives. And the best way to live our very best lives - lives that are faithful, grateful, and joyful - is to turn to Jesus, let love lead, and find the gift.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything, give thanks.