Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:16-18
All three of these are commands in ancient Greek. Technically known as “imperatives.” We are commanded to always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in everything.
I love that. But it’s hard. I have a disorder that includes thinking in “black and white.” When I first became a Christian, I read this literally. I was in college at the time; I tried so hard to talk to God all the time and be joyful in everything. It’s not possible. One less than expected grade, or the time my college boyfriend and I broke up. It’s just not possible to be joyful all the time. I spent a lot of years beating myself up for failing at this imperative.
But what if we’re looking at it wrong? Joy is different than happiness. Joy is a homonym. It has more than one meaning. Joy is indeed an emotion. But it is also a way of viewing life. With every instance, we have a choice to choose joy. I have several students who drive me absolutely crazy, but if I don’t choose joy in the moment, I can quickly descend into a panic attack.
In choosing joy, we can also choose to be open to hearing from God. That’s praying continually. In my black-and-white approach to life, I knew I couldn’t do this. I thought I had to have my head bowed, like in church, all the time. Prayer is simply conversation with God. Hearing God’s voice is not dependent on our physical posture; instead, it’s about living with a heart ready to listen.
And being thankful? I’m not thankful when my students are mouthing off at me. But I am thankful that I can hear from God. He’s the one who gives us strength to get through any situation.