"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
In this time of year, with Thanksgiving just around the proverbial bend, leaves falling from the trees, days shortening, and much cooler nights, we tend to be torn. Our desire is to be thankful, yet we complain about the cold, darkness, and falling leaves. What if we change our ways? What if we take Paul's advice and make the choice to always be joyful, always pray, always give thanks? What would happen?
From personal experience I can tell you that a person can choose joy. There will be moments of sorrow, but those moments don't have to last forever, nor do they get the choice to drag you down. We can choose. Hold on a moment - for those of you who are thinking "Yeah, what does she know?!" I've been there. I've suffered seasons of depression so bad that suicide looked the only way out. I've been in seasons of abandonment, depression, loss, grief... However, these things DO NOT define me. Nor do the negative things in your life define you.
In this verse is a key that unlocks the door to joy - thankfulness. When we are thankful to the Lord for the things in our life: good, bad, and ugly, He begins to do a work within us that words cannot describe. Remember, there is nothing that you will go through that God does not know about and there is nothing you will walk through that Jesus doesn't understand. If you have surrendered your whole self to Jesus and accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, you have the Holy Spirit within you and He will guide you. Do not believe the thoughts or voices that tell you 'you are alone' or 'nobody cares' or any other negative lie.
Jesus came to this earth - leaving the perfection of heaven behind - to be our example. He grew up, suffered and died at the hands of other people. In this world things can be tough, but when Jesus is on our side, we are victorious even if it doesn't feel that way. You are not alone and you are loved more than you will ever know. Remember, Jesus' story doesn't end at the grave. He rose from the grave defeating death and hell. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is interceding for each and every person who calls on His name. You are not alone. You are not forsaken. Choose Jesus and choose joy.
I want to encourage you this Thanksgiving and each and every day forward to choose joy by choosing thankfulness. When you're happy, thank Jesus for something. When you're angry, thank Jesus for something.When you get down, thank Jesus for something. Look around, it isn't hard to find things to be thankful for. Make thankfulness a habit. What are you thankful for today?
