A Bible verse about joy:
“Be joyful always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Today is Thanksgiving. As I sat down to write about today’s verse, I should have anticipated that the topic would relate.
I have become accustomed to being provided with the right topic at the right time, and this was no different.
In respect to the national Holiday in which we give thanks, I think it is profoundly apt that we also celebrate joy.
Simply put, joy and gratitude are closely related. Try being truly thankful for something without stirring the emotion of joy. Likewise, when you are fully joyful, it’s much easier to see that in which you are thankful for.
So it is in this simple verse that implores us to be joyful – always.
Emphasize the joy
I really want to hammer this point down. For the past few weeks, I have been down. We’ve talked that through in length over the past couple of articles.
I’m not going to get back into that, but I wanted to preface this discussion with that tidbit so you can form the mindset that I’ve been in.
Lo and behold, on the day in which we are taught to go around the table and talk about what we’re thankful for, I’m reminded to be joyful – always.
Even though I get depressed when I consider what I lack, where I’m deficient, and what I don’t have, I can still be joyful.
It’s an active choice
Your circumstances do not determine your mindset – you do. That applies to me as well. When I’m depressed, I’m choosing to not be joyful.
Perhaps that’s too simplistic, but there’s no denying it as well. Not choosing joy is akin to choosing not to be joyful.
The fact of the matter is that I do have a lot to be thankful for. I have a lot of reasons to choose joy. And you do too.
While everyone’s situation is different, we all share one thing in common. The love of Jesus and the opportunity for redemption.
That alone is reason enough to be joyful. Even typing that sentence implies that it is the least of all reasons to be joyful, but the truth is that it is the greatest of all reasons.
And it’s available to every single one of us.
This world is designed to beat the joy out of us
For the average person, life is hard. In every which way we turn we are met with struggle, toil, pain, and suffering.
Perhaps this is because we live in a fallen world. Perhaps this is because the life that we enjoy is designed to build us into who we are meant to be.
Any facet of life that requires greatness entails work and effort. If it was easy, we’d all be doing it. This is why every difficult situation that we encounter builds us one step closer to being the person we are supposed to be.
Without the struggle, we’d never obtain that. The experience, the lessons, the fortitude, and character development would never occur without the turmoil.
Your life is a story
Think about your life as if it were a fictional novel. There’s always the protagonist (you), a certain set of events that cause problems, and a resolution.
You become the character you were designed to be by overcoming the struggle. Or by learning a new path to avoid the struggle entirely.
The point is that without the problem, we’d never have an opportunity to find the solution.
Without the darkness, we’d never have an appreciation of the light.
In those terms, we cannot truly grasp the entirety of the emotion of joy unless we face the hardships of life.
I am guilty of this, perhaps more than the average human. On today, the day of Thanksgiving (and probably more accurately – the day of introspection), I implore you to choose the path of joy.
Consider the hardships, give thanks, and choose to be joyful.
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