Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What do you want to do with your life?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Why are you pursuing this particular field?

These are all questions we are familiar with, if you’re anywhere from eight to 80 years old. All throughout our life, the focus is on what we are planning on doing, what career we are planning to follow.

As Christians, we wonder about God’s will for us quite often. That’s the point where the questions go from the ones above to this:

What does God have planned for my life? Is this really the job He wants me to take? Is this the right place to live or should I move? Where will God have me in five years?

The answer for what God’s will is for our lives is in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God simply wants us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. Everything else flows from these things. God will work through our rejoicing, prayers, and thankfulness to reach others.

This means that whether you are a doctor, waitress, or stay at home mom, God wants you to rejoice, pray, and give thanks during your day. But what does this look like, you might ask? Here are some examples from the above mentioned jobs:

Rejoicing

·         A doctor can rejoice when a patient’s tests come back with good results

·         A waitress can rejoice when all of the customer’s orders are correct from the kitchen

·         A stay at home mom can rejoice when her kids happily help with chores

Praying

·         A doctor can pray for those families who get bad news, that they will lean into God and experience healing

·         A waitress can pray for each family that she serves

·         A stay at home mom can pray for her children to become world changers

Giving thanks

·         A doctor can give thanks when surgeries go well and when patients take on a healthier way of life

·         A waitress can give thanks for all of the people she has come into contact with and for what God did through her in the time that they were in the restaurant

·         A stay at home mom can give thanks when she senses her children are learning life lessons, even if they are hard in the moment.

I once heard a pastor say: “A calling has nothing to do with your occupation and everything to do with your identity.” Since our calling is about our identity and not only our jobs, our calling is a part of every area of our lives.  

What your job is ultimately does not matter when it comes to God’s will: what matters is who you are in Christ.

The Shortest Way vs. The Best Way

When I was a kid, I loved reading the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, where at the end of a page you have two or three choices to choose from, and you turn to the corresponding page based on your choice.   However, I did things a little differently than most kids. I was concerned about missing something, so every time I reached a page where I had to make a choice, I used a piece of paper to mark the page. That way, every time I reached a dead end, I could return to the original page, make the other choice and keep going.

I wanted to keep making the right choices in order to get to the result I wanted; and even if I made all the right choices the first time, I still wanted to go back to see where the other choices would take me.

God sees our lives similar to the way we look at the Choose Your Own Adventure books. We can look ahead to see the result of each decision in the book; God already knows what will happen based on the decisions that we make.

Over the past few years I have learned more about trusting that God knows the best way to get to the destination He has created for me. That does not, however, mean that it will be the quickest way to our destination.  

At times, it may even look hopeless, or not make any sense at all.

Quickest ≠  Best

In Exodus 13, God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. However, He did not lead them by what they would have considered the best, quickest route:

 "When Pharoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'"  Exodus 13:17

Even if a path is shorter in distance, it does not always mean that it is the best way to go. God knew the Israelites were not prepared for the war that was sure to happen in the Philistine country, so He lead them the longer way. This definitely wouldn't make sense, on the surface. However, God leads us down the path He has prepared us for.

I have seen this to be true in my own life in many areas: I did not meet my husband until we were both at just the right point in our lives (even though our paths undoubtedly crossed at least a couple times years before we officially met). Five years ago, I was not prepared for my career to go in the direction it is now going in. Two years ago, I would not have been prepared to help my mom adjust to life without my dad.

Maybe you are going through similar situations. Or maybe your situations are a lot darker and full of unimaginable pain.  Remember that God loves you, and He is preparing you for what's ahead, just as He prepared you for the things in your past.

The New You

Blank sheets of paper are always inviting to me, because they represent a fresh start, a blank canvas. Before I ever post anything online, it is usually written in ink on paper first, marked with notes as thoughts come to mind. Every blank page has the potential to be filled with a God-inspired message. Sometimes this is something only for me; other times it is something to be shared.

As a writer with a desire to share inspiration with others, I am excited about the potential of shaping a message to encourage other people. But then there is also the possibility that when I’m done, the page will be filled with a rambling of words that won’t go anywhere beyond the ink strokes that put them there.

Each blank page is a new start; so is our life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

In a notebook, it does not matter what was written on previous pages, just as it does not matter what is in your past. What was written in the past, in your life as on pieces of paper, does not determine what is written on your today. That mistake you made that cost you a friendship in high school? That relationship that was a dead end? That fight with your parents during your college years that resulted in tension that is still there, years later?

In Christ, the behaviors, thought patterns, and seasons of life that cause all of those things are the old that is gone.  Just because you did, doesn’t mean you still do.

You are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus.

Unplug to Connect

Text messages.

Phone calls.

Facebook posts.

Twitter updates.

Emails.

Smart phones.

Laptops.

Instead of thinks that go “bump” in the night, we have things that go “beep” in the night. No matter where we go, in today’s world it is normal to be constantly connected; just one click away from another person. Or hundreds of people.

As I write this, my phone is just a few inches away, with the volume turned up halfway. As I consider turning it off, thoughts immediately begin dancing in front of my mind.

What if the person I have dinner plans with cancels? How would I ever know in time? What if my husband needs me? What if someone from work tries to call me to tell me something important?

When was the last time you turned off your cell phone? Or did you know you could even do that to an iPhone (or any smartphone, for that matter)? Why are we afraid to disconnect from the world?

I believe one part of this is that we feel indispensable within our responsibilities. We like knowing things as soon as they happen, as if it would make our responses any more effective. Sometimes it would, but quite often, what other people need from us can wait fifteen minutes.

Jesus had many things to take care of while He was on earth. There were sick people that needed to be healed, blind people that needed to see, and those twelve disciples that He was teaching and preparing. His disciples, after all, needed to learn as much as possible while He was here, right?

This is where we learn what the most important connection is. Let’s look at Matthew 14:22-25 together, which takes place right after Jesus feeds the 5,000 people:

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.

The disciples needed Jesus to help them, yet Jesus put time in God’s presence before everything else. Jesus knew that the wind would stop, and that the disciples were not in any severe danger.

This made me think: If Jesus was not too busy to spend time with God, then why are we? Why do we feel like we must constantly be available to everyone, at the expense of being available for God?

God created this world, and He is capable to watch over our situations while we spend time in His presence.  

Take just ten minutes today, turn off your phone (or leave it on silent in the other room), and spend those ten minutes with God. Read the Bible, sing along to your favorite worship song…and trust that God is taking care of everything that you’re concerned about.