Casandra Martin

“Rejoice always.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16

I am a practical girl at heart. My life is filled with all of the everyday, ordinary things that define average. I do laundry, clean bathrooms, go to the grocery store, watch the balance in the checkbook, face work deadlines, and struggle to find the end of my to-do list. But it is exactly because my days are so ordinary that I wrestle with God’s command to rejoice always. Rejoicing and dusting are not two words I usually put together in my day.

Rejoicing is an action that begins with being mindful of all of the blessings, promises, and realities that are mine because of Jesus. This awareness and alertness to God’s presence and possessions opens the door for me to make a simple decision through each step of my day. When I face a pile of dishes, a mountain of laundry, a difficult decision, hard news, a stressful situation, a struggling relationship, or a bad mom day, God’s essentials challenge me to pick a path. Will I worship or will I whine?

Worship or whine? That choice lies at the root of the command to rejoice always. In every moment, no matter what the circumstance, worship or whining becomes the fork in the road for my heart. Will I choose to grumble, complain, fuss, or fret or will I let worship, praise, and a deep awareness of God’s presence and power infuse the moment? Choosing worship doesn’t mean that every moment is filled with smiley faces. It does mean understanding and living in the truth that every moment is filled with God.

My Jesus Resolution today is to choose worship instead of whining. Everywhere I go today, I am going to be deliberate about the choice I can make as I stand in that moment. Stuck in traffic? I can worship or whine. Facing a difficult day at work? I can worship or whine. Struggling with the kids, the laundry, or the checkbook? I can worship or whine. Whining sets my eyes and my heart on me, my troubles, and my don’t-haves. Worship overflows into rejoicing because my eyes are focused on God and all that is mine because of Love.