Rejoice in The Lord

I sat down at my desk the morning of January 7, 2025, and that’s where my husband found me that evening, semi-responsive and incoherent. Thus began a perfect storm of medical crises. I spent almost five weeks in the hospital in the following two months as we navigated a frustrating journey through tests, diagnoses, setbacks, surgery, and months of physical therapy. At my lowest I couldn’t even roll over in bed without help.

Unfortunately, I began looking at my life from the perspective of all the things I couldn’t do and started mourning the loss of all the plans I had made for my retirement. The world seemed to be leaving me behind, and I was slowly losing my will to catch up. I became convinced I no longer had anything worthwhile to contribute to my family, my church or society in general.

Not long ago, however, I was reading Philippians 4. Well, really I was just kind of skimming it because it’s a passage I’ve read several times. Once I reached verse 4, though, it didn’t matter what words my eyes were seeing; my mind kept repeating, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” For the next few days those five words echoed in my thoughts like a song I couldn’t stop humming. It began to resonate in such a personal way it was irritating.

From then on every time I focused on something I couldn’t do, I heard “Rejoice in the Lord always”.  Every time I felt like giving up, I heard “Rejoice in the Lord always”. Every time I pushed back with all the reasons I couldn’t rejoice, I heard “and again I say rejoice.” 

Obviously, there was something in this passage God was trying to show me, so I took some time to break it down. Paul wasn’t just suggesting I should be happy. He was telling me God wants me to rejoice “exceedingly” no matter what my circumstances are. And once I rejoice exceedingly, I am to rejoice again. It should be an attitude that helps shape who I am as a child of God.

Of course, it’s easy to rejoice when things are going well. It’s much harder in the midst of a life crisis. Since Paul wrote Philippians from a jail cell, I can’t expect a pass. If I was going to develop an attitude of great joy, I needed to focus more on what I could do than on what I couldn’t do. The more I rejoiced, the more I became aware His presence. The more I focused on Him, the more I was able to embrace His plans and abandon my own.

I certainly don’t have a monopoly on adversity.  We all experience tough times. He doesn’t expect us to rejoice and be delighted in our trials. He is telling us to rejoice and be delighted in Him. Sometimes it’s hard to see past our pain, but there is great hope and comfort in observing how He works all things for His glory and our ultimate good.

I challenge you to join me in cultivating an attitude of rejoicing in the Lord by keeping a journal of joyful celebration for all He’s doing in our lives. Whether we write down one thing a day or several, it will help us develop a habit of looking for His presence. In addition, I would love to rejoice with you. Please feel free to share with me in the comments.