Rejoicing When It’s Hard by Ann Beaulieu
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18
This verse has sustained me in many difficult situations. The main reason being that as soon as I start reading it, I have to stop complaining and lift up my eyes towards God! That is, if I really understand the verse, right?
So, when times are rough and it’s pity party time for me, I open up my Bible and I meditate on it for a while… I can’t go far in my party, because feeling sorry for yourself is sort of hard when you’re supposed to be rejoicing! The heavy cloud that was once upon me most often is lifted, and then my soul starts to sing to my God in thanksgiving.
Why? Because my eyes have been lifted off of me and placed upon my redeemer, where they should be. Only then can I start praying and asking, without ceasing to give thanks in ALL circumstances. Otherwise, if I’m having a pity party with myself, how am I going to give thanks in all circumstances?
You might be reading this and thinking “that’s easy for her to write”. Well, just to clarify, I’m not living on a cloud here, and things are really not all that easy in my life. The past two years have been extremely overwhelming, and my health has never been so fragile. My husband and I are learning to live with my losing many physical capacities due to my illness, and it’s now a whole new ball game for us as a couple. It’s a completely new season, along with hard adjustments for both of us. Not easy at all!
Rejoicing in this is hard, and thanksgiving is not natural: it’s divine. It comes from keeping the focus on the Lord and what He’s doing in my life for His glory. Yet, despite everything, I can find thanksgiving and joy in small simple things like knitting, sipping a good cappuccino, flowers, writing, reading, loving my cats and my grandchildren. Alleluia!