Rejoicing Beyond the Circumstances

Not even my suburbia-bubble protects me from the effects of the global economic crisis.  One friend will lose her house to foreclosure this month, while another’s goes on the auction block in December.  Another friend works multiple jobs to feed the very ones she rarely gets to see.  The bank repossessed two friends’ cars, while a neighbor waits to see if he, too, will lose his house.

Times are tough.  And yet, we’re entering a season where we’re supposed to be thankful.  We typically stuff ourselves with turkey and fixins’, but the exquisite sides might be a bit out of our budget this year.  We can easily find ourselves feeling more like Scrooge than Tiny Tim.  And then we stumble across Philippians 4:4, which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Rejoice?  Bah humbug.  That was easy for Paul to write.  After all, he was called by God and had his blessing upon him.  He had a nice, easy life.  Right?  Wrong.  These words were penned while Paul sat in prison, incarcerated solely for his faith in the true and living God.  Despite his chains, Paul commends us to rejoice in the Lord, just as he did.  Always.  Not after the bank approves the loan modification or when the test results come back negative.  Always.

This year, instead of just saying what we’re thankful for, let’s also remember to say who we’re thankful to.

“In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:21, emphasis mine