Towards Rejoicing

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:4-8

Two memories.

In February of 2019, I was choosing how to rate the different sites that I had interviewed with for the YAV program. As I did more research, I read the ethos of the New Orleans site, "Seeking God in the tension of joy and sorrow." I heard a little voice inside me whispering "I want to feel joy."

My desire for joy was the deciding factor that brought me here (and also the inspiration for the title of my blog).

In the summer of 2019, I was raising support for my YAV year. One afternoon, I met at Panera to talk with one of my mother's dearest friends. I told her about my choice to go to New Orleans and my desire for joy. At the end of our conversation, she encouraged me to ask God for a guiding Bible verse for my year.

As we gathered our dishes, she exclaimed, "Oh! How wonderful! We are at Table 44. To me that means Philippians 4:4 which says Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

And with that, I ended up with my guiding verse for the year.

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As I studied this passage, I found myself asking two main questions. First, it says to rejoice, but what does that even mean? 

Growing up, I didn't see the passage united and connected. I would see verse 4: Rejoice! or I would see verse 6: Do not be anxious! I thought rejoicing meant literally jumping up and down for joy.

Now, I believe that verses 5-8 are a continuation, an explanation, of the initial command.

How should we rejoice? By giving our anxieties to God with thanksgiving through prayer. By holding onto God's peace with both heart and mind. By dwelling on the good in life.

As we commit to these practices (I say practices because they take continual effort), joy is a natural byproduct.

My second question: does "rejoicing always" mean I should ignore all of the injustice in the world?

To quote Paul in Romans 6: "By no means!" Later in Romans, Paul calls us to:

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Romans 12:15

To dwell on things that are excellent and praiseworthy does not mean that we should ignore negative facets of life. I can't ignore the devastating impact that violence has had on the residents of Eden House.

As I look through my blog and all that I have processed this year, I see a range of emotions. None of these emotions, though, were mutually exclusive. Strength came with exhaustion. Boldness came with anger. Gratitude came with vulnerability. Hope came from sorrow. Resilience came from violence.

I personally find it a lot easier to become overwhelmed and burdened by the exhaustion, the anger, the sorrow.

When I submit to the exhaustion and anger and sorrow, though, I am letting the enemy win. I let oppression win when I give up. On the other hand, when I commit to finding strength and letting anger guide me towards action, I prove God's prevalence in all things. 

There is enough space to hold sorrow and joy in your heart at the same time. And clinging to joy rather than being debilitated by sorrow is a testament to the Lord. 

So have I learned to rejoice? Not always, like the verse commands, but I'm getting better at it.