Woke up this morning to the spring-like sound of birds outside my open window. So many things to get done today and no motivation to do any of it--joy is not my first instinct. I toss the bird song over my shoulder nonchalantly and begin to move about in a to-do-list sort of way. Shower. Check. Eat. Check. Quiet time with God. Che.... wait. It shouldn't be like this. My soul knows it and attempts to tell me. It tries to tell me in what should be the most obvious way, the way that I so often just ignore--through a feeling of unrest, discontentment--no peace.
How is it that I can wade through my day as though there were weights on my back and not recognize that something is wrong down deeper? Certainly the thought might occur to me from time to time but I usually just think, "my day will get better tomorrow, or in the next few days, or next week when I'm less stressed, less busy... When life slows down, I will get some peace." But peace is always within our grasp, regardless of our schedules, problems, pain. And it is a command.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice! Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The LORD is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:4-7
The simple fact that this command is repeated, adds emphasis that isn't seen in many other commands. Not that we should take that as more than it is, just that the great importance of this should be noted. "AGAIN I will say--REJOICE!" :) And if you are rejoicing, it follows that you should also be a reasonable person. An essay is due tomorrow, the laundry still isn't done, that deadline is rushing in quicker than you can possibly get the work done, that relationship is just...hurting. These are all important to us as humans, and therefore God does care about them, for He cares dearly for us. But NONE of these are liscence to loose control, to freak out, to begin behaving coldly to others around you, to turn from God. They are a part of life. And you do not throw an antique away because it is old or a little scratched up--that is part of its beauty! If you can manage joy in the midst of your daily routine, people will see that you are reasonable, for somewhere inside us all is the sense that small things shouldn't be made into huge deals. Life hands us crap sometimes, but reasonable are those who accept this with a smile, for they hardly see the troubles due to how strongly they are gazing towards God and what is TRULY important.
Are we taking life in with the realization that the problems are just one ingredient? Do we see that it's our choice how much we want to add of joy, and that it can easily overpower the taste of anxiety? Are we praying? And thanking our LORD? Are we honestly asking Him things? It is okay to ask Him for things, in fact we are supposed to make our requests "known to God." And if these things are happening, even in the midst of a monotonous day, peace will be the guardian of our hearts. :)
So I correct myself: Go back to the song of the birds, breathe in deeper that which has been placed in my path to bring me joy. Be reasonable. Find peace. Have a lovely day!
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