Dory and I have been friends for a little over 14 years. She is a part of my WooHoo girls who have been going to the beach together and other shenanigans for all of those same number of years. Besides loving sunshine, beach time and flip flops, we share a commonality of our love of Jesus.
Dory has a heart for teaching women about her first-hand experience of walking away from her first marriage. She writes about marriage truths based on Biblical teachings on her blog, More for Your Marriage. She is in the process of completing her certification as a Life Coach to help others struggling in their marriage. In addition to all of that, Dory is a Principal at Nahunta Elementary School, a mom, and a wife. I’m thrilled to call her friend. Hear her heart today . . .
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Joy is something that I struggled to find during a season in my life. I was in a broken marriage, not hearing God’s voice, and life was awful at times. I went through a period of time in my life- almost a year- where God’s voice was getting more and more faint, and my life was headed down a road of destruction. I was vulnerable, lonely, and made some decisions that were very unbecoming of anyone claiming to be a Christ follower. In the end, I walked away from my marriage and hurt my family. My life was riddled with jealousy, misguidance, and many sad, lonely nights alone wondering what I had done and what to do next.
The thing is, I depended on a person, my husband, to bring me the joy I needed. When he didn’t do that (because NO one man/person can) I started to lose my trust in the Lord as well. I allowed Satan, and other “Christian” people to speak to my heart, and I listened to them. Instead of going straight to my Savior, and straight to His word for guidance, I listened to others around me who did not give solid, Godly advice. Don’t get me wrong, my decisions were mine alone, I don’t blame anyone else for them, and God taught me a valuable lesson through all of this. I couldn’t hear God’s voice because I wasn’t listening any longer. I let Satan in, and I allowed my heart to be hardened. I allowed my joy to be stolen.
During this time in my life is when I found Philippians 4:4. One thing that has always amazed and baffled me as I read my devotions, is how relevant they are to my life at that moment. Isn’t it mind blowing when you read a devotion that was written who knows when, but it fits into your life like it was written for you at that exact moment? I am telling you that God loves me so much that He regularly does this for me (as I’m sure He does for you too)! It blows my mind every time! This is what He did with Philippians 4:4-“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
The dictionary says rejoice means to give joy to; to feel joy or great delight; to have or possess joy. It says joy means a state of happiness or felicity: bliss, and happiness is a state of well-being and contentment.
While reading my devotion one day, it hit me right in the face! It doesn’t say rejoice (find joy, well-being, or contentment) in your husband, rejoice in your marriage, rejoice in ANYTHING on Earth. It says Rejoice in the LORD! Paul thought it was important enough to “say it AGAIN, Rejoice!” Right then I realized that I had been expecting my husband to give me something that was not his responsibility to give. I was expecting him to give me something that only God could give me! I had allowed Satan to steal my joy because I wasn’t looking for it in the right place!
Does that mean that we will never be unhappy, or have anxiety, or sadness, or pain? Absolutely not, but it does mean that we can have that inner joy-source of delight-knowing our Heavenly Father is always there and still loves us unconditionally. Paul doesn’t say rejoice in your situation or your circumstance. Paul had many prison stays and a constant thorn in his flesh that I’m certain were not pleasant or delightful, but he still found joy in His Lord. Paul realized that He is the only source of true joy and contentment, and that’s what he wants us to realize. That’s why he made sure he said it twice!
Haven’t you felt that way before? Am I the only one who has had periods in my life when I felt like my joy was stolen, gone, zilch-times when I forgot that the only true joy comes from our Father? Times when I forgot He is the only one who can truly fill that void. I KNOW I am not alone in this…so, how do we get there? How do we learn to find our joy in Christ rather than our circumstance? The next few verses give us specific directions. Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” So, when you feel like your joy has been drained, when your marriage is falling apart, when you feel like your life is a wreck, Jesus is waiting for you. Search your soul, and ask yourself where you are searching for joy. Then follow Paul’s instructions: Don’t worry about anything, thank Him, and bring your petitions to your Father. His promise is clear, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” When we do these things, the joy we all long for is waiting for us!
Dory Chapman
Beautifully written! Today, I will rejoice in the Lord!!