Rejoice Every Day

Chuckle: "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito." --Anita Roddick

Good Quote: “The most evident token and apparent sign of true wisdom is a constant and unconstrained rejoicing.” -- Michel de Montaigne

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 NLT).

I've heard people say, "I'm just not a morning person," or "don't bother me in the mornings; I'm a grouch." Others say, "I love the early morning, and enjoy the beauty of God's creation, coming alive at daybreak." Some rejoice at the prospect of another day of life, love, and service to family and others.

Obviously, our own personal temperaments and personalities have a lot to do with the way we greet each new day. But there is a basic truth from God's Word; each new day we live is a gift from God and should be treasured with thanksgiving and rejoicing. You may say, "But Jerry, you don't understand; the way things are going in my life, I just don't feel like rejoicing -- I have nothing to rejoice about." Oh, yes you do -- if you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Obviously, there are days when we don't feel much like rejoicing. You may be facing yet another day of unemployment; another day of caring for a sick parent or child; another day of struggle with your own health; or another day of heartbreak in a relationship. You may feel like Charlie Brown, pondering his plight in life, thought, "Yesterday, for one brief moment I was happy. But just when I thought I was winning in the game of life, there was a flag thrown on the play and life dealt me a blow."

When the psalmist penned the words of our passage, he understood that even when life has dealt us a blow, when our mood is down, when our situation seems out of hand, or when our sorrow and guilt are overwhelming, God can still give us reason to rejoice. I suggest that if you can't see any reason to rejoice that you be honest with God in your prayers. Take your depression, sadness, and hurt to the one who said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

The psalmists were always honest with God and did not hesitate to express their sorrows, anxieties, fears, and doubts. Invariably, when they opened their hearts honestly before God, they came away from that encounter with reasons to rejoice.

When you don't feel like rejoicing, express your feelings to our Lord and let Him show you all the reasons you have to rejoice each and every day. When you look at each day as another gift from God and another opportunity to live and serve Him, you will be glad and rejoice at what God has done for you through Jesus Christ.

Love, Jerry & Dotse