Joy

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16)


It's easy for me to be joyful when good things are happening.  It's when something goes wrong that it requires a great deal of effort.  On Friday, I was on my quest to find tickets to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, that just happens to fall on our fifth anniversary weekend.  I found a deal that was almost too good to be true-and it was!  Turned out that the so-called deal on tickets was nothing but a scam on eBay.  I am out of almost $1,000 and it now looks like our anniversary weekend is going to consist of us staying at home and watching the game on TV while enjoying a frozen pizza.  I noticed that this huge and foolish mistake had robbed me and my wife of our joy.  We argued, we stressed, we were angry (and still are) at the whole thing.

It was not until Sunday morning that a friend texted me the above verse from Thessalonians.  We had to make the conscious decision to be joyful.  Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings.  Obeying these commands often goes against our natural inclinations.

It's when we are following God's will that we can find it easier to be joyful and thankful.