Be joyful always. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This is the Bible verse I have been clinging to lately. I'm almost halfway into the World Race, the newness has worn off, homesickness has set in, and I've been in a bit of a valley this month. I like the country, and I love our hosts, but it's been a little slow. Some days my only responsibility is teaching class for one hour. In the past four days, I've read four entire books. All three of the Hunger Games books, and Kisses from Katie. If you haven't read this book yet, I'd highly recommend it. It's about an 18 year old girl who moves to Uganda, starts her own non-profit and and adopts 14 daughters. So many of her words rang true to me.
"My sense of certainty about being exactly where God wanted me was solid, but just as firm was the fact that I wondered at times what on earth I was doing here. I truly loved my new life. But compared to the life I had been living, it was hard."
I know I'm living out God's will for my life right now, but it's not always easy. Especially on days when I don't feel like I've helped anyone at all.
Be joyful always.
Sometimes, being joyful is easier than it sounds. Even on the worst of days I can manage some joy here and there, but be joyful always?!
There's geckos in my bed, ants in my cereal and mosquito bites all over my legs. The instant I step out of the cold shower, I start sweating head to toe all over again. One of my closest friends on the race just went home. The only suitable clothes in my tiny wardrobe are two shirts and two skirts that I wear over and over again. My feet are always dirty. The power goes out at least once a day. I still can't remember my students' names. The neighbor girl I let roll around in my bed one day comes back the next with her head shaved, so there's a good possibility I'll have lice too within a few days.
But the Lord calls us to be joyful always. The thing is, joy is not something that can be affected by our circumstances. Joy is a heart posture that remains constant. If we have the love of Christ in our hearts, then we always have joy. I remember singing a song in Sunday School that went something like this: "I've got the joy, joy, joy joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay." God has placed a joy deep down in each one of hearts that is here to stay. It's not going anywhere. Geckos, boredom, lice, none of these can take my joy away.
So this month I am learning to walk out what it means to be joyful always. To let the joy of the Lord be my strength.
Never stop praying.
This verse is a little extreme, right? Is it even possible to never stop praying? This is the hardest part for me to grasp of my current favorite Bible verse. I think what it means, at least for me, is that God wants us to seek Him in everything. To constantly be listening for His voice. To talk to him often; not just before bed, before meals or during our daily devotional time. I believe God desires for prayer to be a constant conversation with Him, in which we express our praise, needs, thanks and concerns. God should constantly flood our thoughts.
Be thankful in all circumstances.
A few nights ago we were having dinner together by candlelight, since the power was out. We were sweating buckets without the fan working, getting bit like crazy by mosquitos, and I wasn't sure whether to be terrified or relieved that I could hear the rat that lives in our kitchen running around, but couldn't see where he was. This isn't my ideal dinner circumstance, but I remember being so full of gratitude. Our host had tried to treat us by making hamburgers and fries, a traditional American meal. She even bought us Coca-Cola! It didn't matter in the least that the burgers were on white sandwich bread and drenched in some sort of sauce, that the fries were cold, or that the ants had gotten to the salad before we did, but we ate it anyway. Both my stomach and my heart felt full as we enjoyed this feast and lots of laughter.
Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the things that AREN'T going right, that we miss out on some of the good things that God wants to give us. We can make a choice to choose to live with an attitude of gratitude. To focus on the positive, not the negative, so we don't miss out on any of God's little blessings.
(Two of my biggest blessings this month: a bike and fresh coconuts!)
It starts by thanking God for the simplest things. Things I often take for granted, but that I'm learning so many people around the world do not have.
God I thank You I woke up today. I thank You that I can walk and even run. I thank You that I can read, write and speak English. I am grateful that I can see and hear and smell and feel deeply. I have food on the table and clothes on my back and a bed to sleep on. Thank You for giving me two parents, still alive and married, who love me more than anything. Thank You that I am a big sister, that I have such precious friends and that You chose my soulmate for me long ago.
Thank You Lord that I am healthy. Thank You that I have the freedom to make my own decisions. That I can praise You openly. I can read Your Word without fear, and that I own a Bible at all. I'm grateful for being born in America and for all of the privileges and opportunities that come with that. Thank You I am educated. That I have the ability to live wherever I want. I know how to drive, and I even own my own car. I'm thankful that at home I can walk into a grocery store and buy whatever I want, and I even have a fridge to keep it cold. I'm thankful for electricity. I'm thankful for toilets you can flush and showers (bonus points for a bathtub, or even a shower that's separated from the rest of the bathroom, preventing everything from getting soaked). I'm thankful I have clean water to drink, and that I don't have to walk several miles a day to get it.
So yes, it is possible to be thankful in ALL circumstances. Because our God meets our most basic needs and so much more. We have so much to be thankful for, and I pray we never lose sight of that, no matter how bad things may seem at the time.
For this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Be joyful always. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.
This is God's will for me, and this is God's will for YOU.
