In Everything

I was confronted with a verse of Scripture this morning that I can't get out of my head.  When I logged on to Facebook to see what was going on with my friends today, I noticed this verse as I was scrolling through the posts......"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!"  (Philippians 4:8).  That led me to another verse, this one in  1 Thessalonians......"Rejoice always."  That one is followed closely by "In everything give thanks."

A few words jump out at me from those verses.......always......in everything.  And no matter how we might try to rationalize, I think the meaning of those words is quite clear.  Always means always.  Everything means every thing.  Not sometimes.  Not some things.  Always.  All the time.  In every situation.  In every circumstance.

So this morning I find myself facing reality.  I don't ALWAYS give thanks in EVERYTHING.  I don't REJOICE ALWAYS.  But isn't that what Scripture tells me I SHOULD be doing?

Maybe you face the same dilemma.  You love the Lord.  You want to obey His word.  All of it.....not just the easy parts.  And then we're reminded of verses like these.

I don't know what kind of week you have had.  Around here, it has been challenging.  One of those weeks that makes rejoicing always and giving thanks in everything easier said than done.  A few examples:

• a good friend facing colon cancer
• another good friend diagnosed with breast cancer
• a son dealing with skin cancer (surgery was a few weeks ago and went well, but it's still on my mind)
• a son with a kidney stone
• buying meat at the grocery store yesterday and then forgetting to put it in the refrigerator so that it sat out on the counter overnight and is now ruined
• our water suppy (a mountain spring) diminishing again.......how many times have we had to deal with this since we have lived here??!!  Turning on the faucet and getting nothing is NOT a good feeling!  We have had trouble ever since the east coast earthquake last month.  Not sure if it's related or not, but the timing is interesting.

I could go on.  But you have your own list of less-than-I-would-like-it-to-be situations.  We all do.  We all face circumstances in life that make rejoicing ALWAYS a bit of a challenge.

Except when we remember - and apply - another passage.  This one in Hebrews.  Interesting how it all fits together, isn't it?  And isn't that really the point!

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS."  (Hebrews 12:1-2a NASB, emphasis mine).

Eyes on Jesus, not on circumstances.  With that focus, rejoicing and giving thanks really is much easier to do!