Choose Joy
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." - Philippians 4:4
Life doesn’t always deliver favorable circumstances. Sometimes, you find yourself in moments of grief, sorrow, or uncertainty. It’s in these times that the Bible challenges us to do something that feels impossible: choose joy.
Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests told the people of Israel, who had returned from exile, to choose joy, even as they mourned the losses of the past and faced an uncertain future. The people wept as they heard the Word of God being read, but these leaders urged them, “Do not mourn… for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
This call to choose joy doesn’t mean ignoring the pain or pretending the struggles aren’t real. It means recognizing that joy is not tied to your circumstances. While happiness depends on what’s happening, joy is rooted in something deeper.
It’s a choice to look for the light in the midst of darkness, to find hope even when everything seems impossible. Nehemiah didn’t want the people to let sorrow overwhelm them. Instead, he reminded them that joy is still possible in the hardest times because it comes from God, not from what’s happening around you.
Finding joy in difficult times isn’t easy. But if you look closely, you’ll see glimmers of it all around you. One day, after a tough week, I went to the grocery store, feeling weighed down. But I saw a little boy helping an older woman with her grocery bags, and that simple act of kindness brought a smile to my face. That moment gave me hope. It reminded me that even in the darkest times, there’s evidence that things can get better.
Maybe today you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, struggling with a failed business, or facing a difficult health diagnosis. Whatever your situation, the message is the same: choose joy.
Choose joy when you don’t know what’s going to happen with your family, your career, your marriage, or your health. Choose joy when people abandon you, when the bottom falls out, when nothing goes the way you thought it would. Joy is a choice, and it’s available to you, even in the hardest of circumstances.
Life doesn’t always deliver favorable circumstances. Sometimes, you find yourself in moments of grief, sorrow, or uncertainty. It’s in these times that the Bible challenges us to do something that feels impossible: choose joy.
Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests told the people of Israel, who had returned from exile, to choose joy, even as they mourned the losses of the past and faced an uncertain future. The people wept as they heard the Word of God being read, but these leaders urged them, “Do not mourn… for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
This call to choose joy doesn’t mean ignoring the pain or pretending the struggles aren’t real. It means recognizing that joy is not tied to your circumstances. While happiness depends on what’s happening, joy is rooted in something deeper.
It’s a choice to look for the light in the midst of darkness, to find hope even when everything seems impossible. Nehemiah didn’t want the people to let sorrow overwhelm them. Instead, he reminded them that joy is still possible in the hardest times because it comes from God, not from what’s happening around you.
Finding joy in difficult times isn’t easy. But if you look closely, you’ll see glimmers of it all around you. One day, after a tough week, I went to the grocery store, feeling weighed down. But I saw a little boy helping an older woman with her grocery bags, and that simple act of kindness brought a smile to my face. That moment gave me hope. It reminded me that even in the darkest times, there’s evidence that things can get better.
Maybe today you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, struggling with a failed business, or facing a difficult health diagnosis. Whatever your situation, the message is the same: choose joy.
Choose joy when you don’t know what’s going to happen with your family, your career, your marriage, or your health. Choose joy when people abandon you, when the bottom falls out, when nothing goes the way you thought it would. Joy is a choice, and it’s available to you, even in the hardest of circumstances.
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