By. Gina Caswell Kelly
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord. Exactly what does that mean? How do we rejoice in the Lord? Well, think about the things that make you rejoice. We rejoice when our kids are born. We rejoice when they take their first steps. We rejoice over every milestone in their lives. We rejoice when our sports teams win. We rejoice when we find a great parking spot. We rejoice when we get a great diagnosis from the doctor. When Mike would come home from the farm for the evening, he would rejoice when he walked in the door and could smell chicken fried steak. “Oh boy!” He would say. We rejoice over great and small things. Just the everyday things of life can make us rejoice.
So what is it that Paul means when he says we should “Rejoice in the Lord?” What does rejoicing in the Lord look like? I have been giving this some thought and I was thinking of the things that make me smile and be grateful for the blessings of this life. The feel of rain on your face, particularly after a tough drought. That feel makes me want to turn my face toward heaven and rejoice. The smell of that fresh turned dirt that just is like no other fragrance on earth. God made the fragrance and we should rejoice in it! The sweet taste of water straight from the well. My church family loving and caring for each other the way they do makes me rejoice. The sound of children laughing. The sight of my kids being successful and happy in the lives they have made. The joy of watching my grandkids and spending time with them. The knowledge that I will see all those that have gone before me again one day.
These are all great gifts from a great heavenly Father. A heavenly Father that wants the best for His kids and a heavenly Father who rejoices with us over the same things that make us rejoice. There is an old song called His Favorite Song of All that I love. In this song, it talks about all the sounds that are the favorites of the Savior. It says He listens to the angels singing, but then He lifts His hand for silence when someone who was lost suddenly begins to sing the song of the redeemed. When someone who was lost has found Jesus, that makes Him rejoice.
If we want to truly rejoice in the Lord, we will rejoice in those gifts that He has given us and we will rejoice when others come to know Him for themselves. Oh, there are so many, many things that make us rejoice. Take time to recognize that all these things are gifts from the Father, who wants nothing more than to rejoice with us in these gifts, but more so in our salvation through Jesus Christ.
Do you know the Savior and the joy He brings? Don’t let another day go by. Make Him your personal Savior today and let the rejoicing begin! It will make a difference!
