I love that Paul tells himself what he will do in Philippians 1:18. He says:
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:18 ESV)
I love that he’s able to see past this difficulty “in every way” to see the greater work that God was doing. This ability truly leads to joy. If we choose to only see the bad, that’s how we’ll feel. Joy is a choice. It may be a fight to choose joy, but joy, not being conditional or circumstantial, is a choice.
Listen to me, your joy is worth fighting for. Don’t be so quick to give this precious gift away. I had a Great Aunt that used to always say “Don’t let no one take your thunder.” What she meant was, we all have a joy for life, a light within us that no one can take. If we lose it, it’s because we’ve chosen to let it go. Someone may say one offensive thing to us, as we’ll allow it to mess up our entire week. Now I’m not saying there won’t or shouldn’t be times where we find ourselves sad, down, or even depressed. I’m saying joy is the gift that God grants us to see his provision, faithfulness, and goodness even when it’s dark. However, we’ll miss Him and His joy if we’re distracted with only our circumstances.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that the joy You give cannot be taken away. I pray for the strength and wisdom to choose joy even when it’s challenging. In Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.