Rejoicing in Misery

Rejoicing in Misery
By Elizabeth Johnson

When you feel lousy – you feel lousy.

When your body feels sick and tired and blah – then your spirit feels miserable and cranky and, well, blah.

Anyone who’s ever been sick can relate. 

You see, the body and spirit are so interconnected that when you fight a battle in one area, it gets fought in the other one too. When your energy is being spent fighting sickness of some sort, that’s energy that is not being spent fighting bad attitudes and low spirits.

It’s hard to fight on both fronts at the same time. It’s challenging. Sometimes it feels impossible.

But I don’t think it is impossible.

Why? Because we have commands in Scripture, and we are expected to obey those commands no matter what. And that must mean that we have whatever we need to obey – including energy.

God commands us to be thankful. He tells us to give thanks in every circumstance and for every circumstance. He tells us to rejoice in all things. He tells us to bring our prayers before Him with thanksgiving.

And let me tell you something… when your body feels worn out and fatigued day after day, you sure don’t feel like being thankful.

When you wake up after a fitful night of sleep, feeling worse than you did the night before, wanting to just lay in bed all day – you don’t feel like rejoicing in all that misery.

 

You feel like complaining. You start to whine. You want to throw a pity-party with one attendant and one guest of honor: YOU.

You roll out of bed with a scowl on your face, grumbling about whatever needs to be done that day. You start complaining in your mind, if not with your lips. You frown and fret and furrow your brow, hoping someone will notice and take pity on you – and send you straight back to bed.

It’s so easy to complain when we don’t feel well!

But that’s exactly what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to forget all God’s benefits. He wants us to turn our eyes away from God, and onto our problems.

Satan wants us to forget how good and awesome our God is -- but that’s exactly why we must give thanks, why we must rejoice in everything.

Because God’s commands are always for our good. Do you believe that? 

Every single thing God has commanded in Scripture is ultimately for your benefit! 

Learning to rejoice in everything is certainly for our benefit. Learning to give thanks in feeling miserable will boost your spirits, improve your attitude, and actually help your bodies resist stress and fight against illness!

I’m not a doctor, so I won’t get into all the medical benefits of endorphins and muscle relaxation and deep breathing – all of which come with a happier spirit.

But I can say – from personal experience – that you will definitely start feeling better when you train yourself to give thanks in everything. When you teach yourself to look for blessings in the pain, to smile through the tears, you will start to feel whole in your spirit even though your body may be broken.

So how does that look in the nitty-gritty everyday?

If I am rejoicing in all things – I will roll out of bed with my thoughts focused on God and relying on His strength, despite how poorly I slept or how lousy I feel.

If I am rejoicing in all things – I will not neglect my responsibilities because I don't feel well, but rather learn to let God's "power be made perfect in weakness."

If I am rejoicing in all things – I will not complain when fatigue overwhelms me, but rather be thankful that God has promised never to leave or forsake me.

If I am rejoicing in all things – I will not grumble about doing things for others who have more energy than I do, but rather "in love, serve one another."

 

I’m sure you can come up with more great examples. How about taking a few minutes to write them down? And then pray over them, and work at them.

How else can you rejoice despite the blah?
How else can you give thanks in every circumstance?

About the Author:  Elizabeth Johnson 

 Elizabeth was diagnosed with a lifelong chronic illness in 2007, shortly before marrying her college sweetheart, James. Together they are preparing for a life of full-time ministry. She writes most days at DogFur and Dandelions, where she shares her passion for Christ-centered living, and encourages others to “…rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). A few of her favorite things (besides writing) are strong coffee, good friends, sound theology, and mountain trails. She also loves connecting with people on Facebook and Twitter!

 Don't miss any of the new posts at Finding Purpose in the Pain- subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss any important information or announcements, like us on facebook or follow on twitter!