Relearning joy.

Rejoice always…

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Singing in the car and dancing along to the rhythm.

Smiling at a fun TV show and giggling like a little girl again.

Watching a sunrise while drinking a hot cup of tea and looking forward to the day ahead with peace and calm.

Laughing at my dog’s antics.

Enjoying a meal with my family, laughing and talking over everything and nothing.

For many years I took these things for granted, until the day came when I experienced none of the joy and peace of these moments anymore.  It struck me that I rarely just laughed or even smiled at the small things anymore.  My heart was heavy, and joy seemed impossible.  I had gotten so caught up in my own mind and in the darkness that pervaded each day that I struggled to do the things that I loved; I struggled to enjoy the simple and even lighthearted moments.

One day, several years ago, I began to understand this as I was driving to work when I realized that I wasn’t singing along to the radio.  Such a small thing but I had no desire to sing.  It felt like I had no voice.  I had no inspiration, no desire to express myself, no heart for lifting my voice to the heavens.  Now you need to know that I am not a singer.  I do not sing in front of others.  I have no professional training.  Singing is my personal pleasure, a small thing that brings my joy and lets me connect with God.  Prayer through song.  And it was gone.  The silence was deafening.

It took me quite a while to break that silence, to experience joy again.  Eventually, I learned to find the music that God could use to speak to my heart in every situation.  (I have playlists for everything these days.)  Even if I can’t sing, I let the music soothe my soul and reconnect me to the truth God speaks every day.  These days singing in the car has become my checkpoint.  It helps me realize the state of my heart.  Am I rejoicing?  Why have I stopped?

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians to “[r]ejoic always” (5:16).  It was during times like these that I struggled with this command.  Rejoice?  How do I rejoice when I don’t feel joy at all?  Over time, I discovered some interesting insights.  It began with the word “rejoice.”  “Re-” is a prefix that means again, so the idea is to “joy again.”  It made me realize that I could recognize joy again; I could name it again.  I had never consciously named joy in my life; it was not something I thought I would need to do.  Now, I needed to learn.  When did I experience joy?  What were the moments that I felt most at peace?  I began to recognize and name those moments.  Then I began to consciously search for them, especially when life seemed darkest.  God always helped me find those moments: candlelight flickering, sunlight glistening on snow, leaves dancing in the wind, the first spring daffodils, steam rising from a hot cup of tea, a phone call from a friend.

I always experienced joy during moments of peace, calm, excitement, pleasure, happiness.  These were not constant moments though, especially now.  So how could I possibly “[r]ejoice always” (5:16)?  There must be more to the idea of joy.  Where does joy ultimately come from?  Is it situational, or something more?  If we are told to rejoice always then it cannot possibly be caused by the happy times.

I began looking for patterns and found that joy arrived during times when I was most at peace.  In Romans Paul writes, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (15:13).  In Galatians Paul tells us “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (5:22).  I found my pattern.  Joy is found in the presence of God.  

This was my answer for rejoicing always – God is always with me; thus, I may always rejoice.  Even in the darkest of moments, He is still the God of hope.  God never leaves me, and if I’m thinking that God cannot be found, I need to look at the situation again.  Jeremiah promises, while writing to the exiled Israelites, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.  I will be found by you…” (29:13-14a), a promise that still holds true for us today.

During this time of my life, I found that I had to relearn joy.  I had to rediscover joy – what it was, where it came from.  Joy is no longer something that I take for granted.  Rather I intentionally look for joy every day, sometimes moment by moment.  As I look for joy, I look for the very presence of God in my life and in the world around me.  He has never disappointed me.

So, friends, I encourage you today to relearn joy.  Where do you see God in your day?  Look for Him; He will let you find Him.  Let Him surprise you, He will show up in the most surprising ways, tailor-made just for you.  God tells us in Isaiah, “I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior…you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you…” (43:3-4).  God is speaking through Isaiah to the exiled Israelites, but His promises still apply to us through Christ.  You and I are so very loved, so let’s relearn joy and start rejoicing always.