1 Thess. 5:16-18  Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

These verses have always made me stop and take account of how I'm living my life. Its interesting to me that some of the shortest verses in the Bible can have the biggest impact.

Rejoice always - just to clarify, joy and happiness are not the same thing. Happiness usually comes from external things while joy is an inner quality, coming from the heart. Joy is not dependent on circumstances.

The verse doesn't say rejoice when things are good. And life can really throw us some curves, can't it? We are told to rejoice always. That means when the kids are healthy and happy and when they aren't, when the husband is easy to get along with and when he isn't, when the job is going well and when it isn't. The things that happen in this life are temporary. We all deal with sick kids or sick parents or sick spouses. Kids don't always mind(hey, sometimes they can go for days without cooperating). Every couple has problems, some more than others. Life can be hard. Honestly, life is often hard, but 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that no temptation that comes our way is unusual, they are all common to man. We all deal with problems, illnesses, unhappy marriages, you name it. Some folks deal with more difficulty than others and I'm not trying to downplay whatever your circumstances are. I am trying to point out that we all have problems, concerns, fears... 

But we are His children. We have a hope, an anchor for our souls. And that is cause to rejoice, even in the bad times. Is this easy? Not always. But this is what we are to strive for - rejoicing in every situation. Keep reading. I think you will soon see how these verses go together.

Pray without ceasing - this doesn't mean that every word out of your mouth has to be a prayer. But if  you are going days or even hours without talking to your Father, there may be a problem. It is natural to share your day with your family, your spouse, your friends, whoever you spend your time with. Let's say you are married - would you go days without talking to your husband if he were right next to you? And God IS right next to you. He's there, just waiting for you to talk to Him. Share your burdens. Tell Him about your heartaches, your temptations, your fears.

But tell Him how thankful you are, too. In everything give thanks - good times and bad, happy times and sad, healthy times and sick, abundant times and wanting. Because in everything, He is still there and He still loves you. He still gave His Son to die for your sins.

When you spend your time in prayer giving thanks, I think you will find your burdens lifted, your load lightened. When you are thankful, it is easier to be joyful, even in the bad times. A thankful heart is a joyful heart. How can we not be joyful when we think of all the wonderful blessings God has poured out abundantly on us??