Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Very rarely in scripture does Paul, or anyone else for that matter, say this clearly: This is God’s will for you. But here it is.  And it’s very simple – very spelled out. But by no means easy.

To rejoice is to take delight in, find pleasure in, revel in – relish, savor.  In fact, Paul wrote this letter in Greek, and the word he used is the word for rejoice – is the word chara. Have joy. Chara comes from the root word Charis – which means gift.  

If joy comes from charis – gift, then perhaps to rejoice, at least in part, is to become aware of the gifts: gifts of life, gifts of breath, gifts of forgiveness, gifts of reconciliation, gift of being able to get up in the morning; gift of the summer sunshine on my back. All gifts. 

To rejoice then, is to become aware that all of life is a gift. This moment is a gift. These people are a gift. The ability to communicate is a gift. My family and friends are all gifts.

Now if we look at this a little closer we see that rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks are integrally linked as rejoicing and giving thanks are prayers in and of themselves. It is really an outlook on life that Paul is encouraging. And it is an outlook that implies the need to stop and notice – to look around. 

When I was writing this, I had to pause for just a moment and take this advice myself. I was outside on my back porch and I noticed the birds singing, the cicada chirping, the morning sunlight streaming through the trees. By stopping and noticing – and delighting in it – I felt an almost immediate upwelling of joy.

I leave you a challenge. As you go throughout each day this week, I invite you to intentionally pause momentarily from time to time – find something to appreciate. Allow a full 15 – 30 seconds for it to fully sink in. Delight in. Let it soak in, and give thanks.  

Let us pray: Continue to open our eyes, O God, to the many gifts that surround us on every side. As we notice, open too our hearts, that we would find ways to respond. In Christ’s name. Amen.