I threw a huge hissy fit. I yelled, even growled in frustration. The dogs, always hovering around the kitchen, tucked their tails and ran.
My lovely bride came to check on me, “Can I help?” she asked appeasingly.
“No,” I snapped. “Go away. I hate this recipe. It’s stupid. Look at this mess, and now they are burnt and falling apart. Garbage. Might as well throw it away. I have made garbage.”
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” she delicately tried.
“No. It’s garbage. Stop cheering me up.” I think at some point, the child came in to share her confidence that it would be fine and express her love and concern for me. Even she failed. I was seeing red, and nothing was going to change my mood.
This little incident comes to mind today, as I consider a COVID Thanksgiving and a year in which everything seems like hot garbage. What a mess! All our hard work. All our plans. All our time. All our efforts. Nothing. School. Garbage. Work. Garbage. Even nature’s great beauty in our wonderful state took a hit this year. Love and unity? Garbage. A stable society? The Future? Garbage. Relationships with our friends? Our neighbors? Our family? Ruined, everything is ruined. We can’t even get together. We are told not to travel. The 2020 pan is still smoking. The dog still doesn’t know why everyone is so angry.
Then the Apostle Paul has the audacity to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” No, Paul, not this time. Paul, stop cheering us up. Paul, you don’t understand. Paul, if you only knew what sort of year this was. Paul, if you could only see how rough the future was looking. You can’t really mean, always, rejoice always. That has to be an exaggeration. I will say it again: Rejoice!
In case we are tempted to think that maybe Paul didn’t understand, couldn’t know our struggles, or didn’t understand how bad life could get, maybe we should review his history with the Philippians. Just in their town, he was arrested for healing a demon possessed girl. He was accused of disturbing the peace. They beat him with rods, and without being able to say a word in his defense they threw him in the cold dark prison, binding him and Silas hand and foot in the stocks. My and hands start to tingle if I don’t move them for a few minutes, how many hours did Paul endure. Still he uses that word, always, and proved it as he and Silas passed the time singing joyful hymns to the Lord, happy to share in the suffering of Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Paul knew all about bad times, still he encouraged, rejoice!
His future wasn’t looking all that great either. As he wrote these words, Paul was under house arrest (sound familiar?); while better than a dungeon, he, a Romans citizen, couldn’t come and go as he pleased. He was awaiting his day in court before Emperor Nero (yes, that Nero.) His future is as uncertain as it could be. He could be convicted, imprisoned, or executed. Even if he was released if his past journeys were any indication of his future, he could expect more hardship and trouble in the future. Though he doesn’t mention to the Philippians, his thorn in the flesh was not going to be taken away. Yet, even in his current confinement and his uncertain future, Paul speaks in the clearest terms, Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!
Paul doesn’t stop there, and his next words give context for our rejoicing: Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. The Lord is near you to protect you and keep you. The Lord is near you and sees your life, its struggles and successes. The Lord is near you to forgive you, to strengthen you, and when you are wronged to bring you justice. The Lord is near; this is his promise to you. You don’t need to worry about your present troubles. You don’t need to fight for your rights, for your happiness, to make sure that you are getting all you can out of every moment in this life. You can live in gentleness and love for one another. The Lord is near. As he has come to redeem you, so also he will come to fulfill all his promises to you and take you with him in glory. Therefore, Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Instead of focusing on all the garbage the world of sin throws our way, Paul turns our focus toward God, his blessings and his care. Paul even saw reasons for thanksgiving in the worst times, because nothing would separate him from the love of God. Once that relationship with God is right, everything else can fall into place. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God’s peace which never fails is reason to rejoice and pray with thanksgiving always.
I felt justified for my hissy fit. My favorite cookbook had betrayed me. I followed the instructions, even when they seemed unnecessarily complicated. The “Best Ever Crab Cakes” were falling apart in the pan. I felt justified for my hissy fit, but I wasn’t. First, we were going to be eating crab cakes, hardly bread and water. A caring church member had given us so much crab that these cakes were from the leftovers of a crab feast. As it turned out, though they weren’t pretty, they were (as my wife tried to tell me the would be) delicious. We did (after I eventually stopped pouting) enjoy a nice family meal. I can laugh about my temper tantrum now.
I don’t think the Apostle Paul was saying that he was happy with his circumstances. He wasn’t merely looking on the bright side of a raw deal. No, rather, Paul and all Christians have a joy overrides those frustrations, a multitude of reasons to give thanks in every situation, and a peace which no one can fully explain or begin to understand.
This year might seem like a mess which is only fit for the trash. We will likely have those times when we feel like yelling in our frustration or giving in to our worry, but as tomorrow is Thanksgiving, let us take our encouragement from the Apostle Paul. Instead, rejoice! Especially in the bad times, especially when we are separated from those we love and confined to our homes, and especially when our futures seem so uncertain. Rejoice. Rejoice always. It is worth repeating again: Rejoice! God’s love has not failed you. God has not forgotten his plans for you. God has not withdrawn his blessings from your life. You have the treasure of priceless worth, God’s own Son has humbled himself to the point of death and has been exalted to the highest place. You have the peace beyond all understanding, your sins are forgiven, full and free. In Christ, you have God’s approval and will receive his glory. How can we rejoice now and keep rejoicing no matter what? Paul shares his own secret, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Happy Thanksgiving 2020.
(I think the whole book of Philippians would be worth reading today. It isn’t very long. If nothing else, I encourage you to read chapter 4 verses 1-14. When our flesh begins to grumble, think about these things.)