Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.  –Philippians 4:4-8

     Even mature followers of Jesus Christ look for joy in the wrong places.

     It is an easy thing to become weighed down by the struggles of life.  Even when our own needs are met, we do not have to look far to find someone we care about who is suffering or struggling.  Pain and distress and loss are constant companions in a world wracked by sin.

     So why does Paul teach us to rejoice?  How can we rejoice when things don’t go well? When our bodies ache or our hearts break, how do we muster the energy to rejoice?  Where do we find the strength to reflect the hope of Christ to others when the cares of the world are dimming that hope in our own eyes?

     The key is to separate joy from circumstances.  It simply isn’t practical to think that circumstances will ever produce continually joyful emotions.  There are too many trials, too many flaws, too many disappointments, too many problems for us to be able to be perpetually joyful this side of eternity.  We must instead rejoice in the Lord; in understanding that life is a bigger drama than the tiny corner we see.  We must find joy because we serve a Savior who reigns over that bigger drama. 

     I have an unusual movie habit that illustrates this point.  As a chaplain, I see and hear much that discourages and disheartens me, so when I watch a movie, I don’t want to be stressed out.  I’ll often fast forward to the end of the story to see who lives and dies; and who triumphs.  If the movie ends to my satisfaction, I can tolerate almost any backstory or plot twist.  In fact, I bask in a smug certainty that my side wins; that I’ll be satisfied in the end.

     Despite whatever trials we face in this life, we who have Christ as Savior know how the story of life ends.  At the doorway to eternity, we will stand before God. He looks upon us and sees Christ’s righteousness, and we are invited to begin an eternity absent any pain or sorrow or sin.  Only when we grasp that Jesus gave His own life for that very moment in ours can we truly understand the meaning of joy.  It is a joy that cannot be taken from us (Romans 8:37-39), no matter how dark our day may be here. 

     When we take our eyes off of that moment in time, we fall prey to discouragement, and we dim the hope of Christ not only in our hearts, but most assuredly in the eyes of those who work alongside us.  Joy comes not in what we have, or who we are, or what we do, but in the certain, unmerited, irrevocable connection we have to the Author of joy.  Lift your eyes to the source of that joy, and your heart won’t be far behind.

--Randy Kilgore

rkilgore@marketplacenetwork.com

www.marketplacenetwork.com