May 14, 2023
The Rejoicing Heart
In last week’s blog post, we saw that bitterness can give us a “sinking” feeling, like Tom had!
But rejoicing can give us a buoyant spirit to ride life’s waves.
Susan C. Young said:
“Rejoicing is grounded in gratitude, with a keen appreciation for yourself, others, abundance, and the beauty around you.”
It is taking notice. It is tallying up the truths that stabilize us and bring us joy:
God and life are not the same: God is good but life is painful.
God has a beautiful plan even in the midst of current ugliness.
God is bigger that the most powerful leader, movement, disease, or weather.
When we “tally up” the scorecard for our lives, God always wins. And so do we, because we are on His side! (The prefix “re” means “again.”)
Re-joicing is re-visiting truths about God, re-establishing our hearts in His grace, re-newing our commitment to giving thanks in all circumstances, re-viewing His unconditional love, and re-minding ourselves of His good plans. These disciplines will re-fresh our minds, even if our feelings take longer to follow.
God will be pleased, and re-joice! Again...
And this can add to our contentment, the subject of next week’s blog.
