Rejoice Always: The Command We Keep Forgetting
This past Sunday night was one of those Sunday Scary-type nights where you have that sinking feeling of, “Really? I have to do everything I did this week…all over again?”
Grocery shop, cook dinner for the family, show up for my church commitments, work my 9-to-5, do three loads of laundry, water the plants, finally get around to cleaning the bathroom, go to the dentist, try squeezing a workout in at the gym, etcetera etcetera…
I could just feel my anxiety barometer rising as the list went on—and the spiraling thoughts along with it…
“I’m already feeling exhausted. How am I supposed to start another week?”
“What’s the point of life if it’s like this every week?”
“If I’m this overwhelmed now, how is it going to be with kids?”
I wallowed a little while longer until eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I got up, put my shoes on, and went for a walk around the neighborhood.
The sun was setting, the temperature was cooling, and as I walked, the Holy Spirit placed two verses on my heart. And in typical Spirit fashion, both verses had striking similarities.
“Rejoice in the Lord. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
It was clear what the Holy Spirit was trying to say to me that day: Don’t wallow…rejoice. Don’t just go to work and cook dinner every day…rejoice!
The Greek word for “rejoice” is chaírō (Khah'-ee-ro). It means “to be glad” or “to be cheerful.” And it’s one of the most frequently repeated commands in scripture—appearing nearly 200 times in the NIV Bible. It’s almost like God knew we would need hundreds of reminders for this.
When Sunday scary-type moments creep up on us…
When our mental state is worn down…
When our to-do list seems unmanageable…
The first thing to go is usually our joy.
Our default (or mine, at least) is very rarely chaírō.
It’s more like crying, falling prey to depressive thoughts of ‘What’s the point of all this?’ and then shutting down emotionally for a few days.
Funny enough, this is exactly what Satan wants.
Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Satan loves to knock us when we’re down. And when we put our joy in things outside of Christ, we give him a foothold to do just that.
John the Baptist reiterates this, saying: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
Fortunately, there’s a second part to this verse…
“I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
So while Satan may want to steal our joy, Jesus wants to give us life to the full.
A few last thoughts…
If you’re reading this right now, I urge you: Don’t let your circumstances, mental state, or to-do list steal your joy this week.
Choose to let the Holy Spirit be the source of your cheerfulness. Choose chaírō.
And not just chaírō during the milestones or happy moments, but chaírō in all things.
If this seems daunting, start small.
Start by rejoicing in making your coffee in the morning.
And then try rejoicing when you wash the dishes…
And then slowly stack the things in which you’re choosing gladness: checking out at the grocery store, filling up your gas, walking into work.
The change in your heart posture will be evident.
You’ll feel a lot more like Jesus and a lot less like our strung-out, anxious world.
When the Holy Spirit placed those two verses on my heart this past Sunday evening, I immediately felt His peace.
As soon as I ditched the victim vibe and got up to go on a walk, He wrapped me in His calm reassurance.
And in that moment, I was reminded of His grace, greatness, and power.
May you feel that as you go about your week.
To choosing chaírō,
Caroline
