Every Girl: Celebrate HIM
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice”
Philippians 4:4
As a young teenager, I consumed my time reading countless occasions in the Bible involving suffering. Being cut in two by a sword, drug out of homes, stoned by multitudes, hung upside down, spat upon, beaten, mocked, burned, trapped with deadly animals—the list of suffering experienced by Christians seemed exhausting.
I was unable to wrap my mind around what early Christians experienced for God’s sake. What boggled my mind even more, however, was the fact that in the midst of all of this suffering, these Christians were told to rejoice always.
How on earth could a human being rejoice while having their body beaten? How could a woman rejoice as her husband was dragged out of her home and thrown into prison? How could a young man rejoice as his greatest role model lay on the ground feeling stone after stone thrown by an angry, non-believing mob?
The two concepts—rejoicing and suffering—clashed so strongly in my mind until one day, I realized the source of joy revealed within the verse.
God did not ask us here to rejoice always. He would never require His children to be happy when facing pain, agony, misery, and death for His sake. God would never force us to deny the very emotions of sadness and anger that He Himself placed inside of our hearts for specific purposes.
God did, however, tell us to rejoice in the LORD always.
When our boyfriend dumps us, or best friend moves, or we fail that important test, or we lose our beloved grandparent, we are allowed to express sorrow and grief—God given emotions. But in this verse God is teaching us that at the heart of any problem, no matterhow great, we still have a reason to celebrate, and that reason is Christ.
A perfect example of celebrating God in the midst of a life storm comes from our dear brother Job. After losing his livestock, his home, his servants, the support of his friends and wife, and even his health, he still managed to fall to the ground and praise God in worship. He understood that though he had lost everything on earth he held dear, he still had a reason to celebrate, and that reason was Him.
No matter the trials you are facing—maybe a broken relationship, an exhausting friendship, struggles with a teacher, a stressful transition in life, feelings of rejection—Christ loves you, suffered for you, died for you, rose for you, and will return for you. That alone, is a reason to celebrate in the midst of life’s storms.
Celebrate Him! Always!
by Jennifer Savage
Printed in the Summer 2012 issue V5N3