Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:4-8
I’ve often been fascinated by the power of the mind to shape and bring meaning to reality. When I was young, I thought my life was horrible. And it was. If you received and read our email last week, you might even agree.
When I was a teenager, I thought my life was difficult, but worth it. And it was. At this point in my life I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, and, though my life circumstances hadn’t improved, my mentality was completely different. I had purpose, and hope. And that helped me through some of my darkest times.
When I was in my twenties, I thought my life had been blessed. And it was. I looked back on my memories and realized I had never been truly alone - in my childhood I had my mother and my brother, in my teens I had my friends and my church. When I could have become homeless my friends’ parents opened their homes to me. Even with all my mistakes and my failures, I found myself married to a wonderful man, working in jobs that I enjoyed, and living a happy life, despite being sick.
Entering into my thirties, I thought my life was…challenging. And it was. I experienced my worst bouts of guilt and depression in this decade. Guilt over not being able to be as successful, supportive or productive as I had wanted to be, depressed about being constantly in pain and dragged down by the guilt.
A few years later, I finally realized my life was what I make of it. I can look back and focus on the negatives - the personal failures, the harsh times, bad interactions with people - and I can fully and honestly say that my life was full of hardship, and I think I have every right to feel a bit sorry for myself, and angry that things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to.
Or, I can look back and focus on the positives - whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - and I can fully and honestly say that my life was full of blessings, and I am absolutely grateful for everything I’ve experienced. I can rejoice, and be joyful.
Friend, what is your reality? Will your life be full of pain and suffering, or of joy and blessing? My hope and prayer for you is that even when events turn out differently than you may have imagined or wished for, that joy will fill your heart and your mind and give you peace.
