How to Rejoice in the Lord in Every Season

The tulip poplar leaves are just beginning to emerge like tiny hands waving at the cobalt sky. For six fleeting months, they will greet the dawn with their flapping waves as if they’re living to the full. As I gaze at them, they’re a reminder of how to rejoice in the Lord no matter what the season of life looks like.

How to Rejoice in the Lord in Every Season

A red-winged blackbird glides over the field behind the house, and our caged quail calls for a mate. I turn the pages for words about how to live this day to its fullest, and I find them:

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Perhaps this verse holds the secret for how to rejoice in the Lord in every season. Let’s unpack this verse and see what it can teach us about how to rejoice in the Lord.

1. I can rejoice in the Lord when I remember that this day is his gift to me.

The Lord has brought this day to pass, and it is his gift to me: “This is the day which the Lord has made.”

I can rejoice in it when I receive the day as grace and count the blessings and the trials as grace, unmerited favor.

I find joy when I choose to believe that the long line of traffic is all part of some divine plan and when I leave space in my days to talk to strangers. Additionally, I uncover joy when I slow my pace and take photos of flowers in the yard. In these moments, I learn to give thanks for God’s gifts throughout my days.

In these ways, gratitude teaches me how to rejoice in the Lord, even on the hardest days. I count each day as a gift and don’t waste the gift by being ungrateful.

2. I can rejoice when I choose to cultivate joy instead of grumbling.

The second part of the verse reads, “let us rejoice.”

Each day offers a choice: I will either choose to cultivate joy or choose to cultivate grumbling.

I can grumble about the weather, or I can give thanks for another day to feel the hot sun upon my skin.

I can complain about the messes my family leaves for me to clean up, or I can thank God that I have a family to clean up after. Instead of focusing on the work they bring into my life, I can thank God for their presence.

The same is true in the workplace. I can grumble about my boss, my workload, or my coworkers. Or I can thank God that I have a job and aim to love others when I go to work each day.

Each day offers a choice: I will either choose to cultivate joy or choose to cultivate grumbling. #choosejoy #encounteringGod #gratitude Share on X

3. I can rejoice in the Lord by remembering that he is my great reward.

The final part of the verse reads, “be glad in it.”

I learn how to rejoice in the Lord when I learn to see God’s hand in all of my moments. When I see God, I see him in the leaves bursting forth from the poplar tree. I see him in the eyes of the delivery man as he walks to the door with his tired shoulders and a forced smile.

God is present in the tenderness of my child’s embrace, but he is also present amid the frustration of the computer software that refuses to download. No matter what happens to me on any given day, he is my great reward.

I reflect on this as the springtime wind blows from the south.

The poplar leaves point heavenward: tiny hands, praising their Maker. I commit to continue praising him, too, no matter what comes my way.

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