Rejoice

This bronc rider isn't rejoicing. A second after this picture was taken, he flew over the head of the horse, landed on the ground and amazingly you could tell that the horse deliberately avoided stepping on him, Caldwell Night Rodeo.
Continuing in the Philippians chapter four road map to freedom and wholeness, look at verse four as the next ingredient. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Happiness is circumstancial – determined by pleasant conditions. Contrasted with “joy” which is a choice of attitude.
According to Psalm 16:11 joy is found in the presence of God. So no matter the situation, if one’s focus is on the Lord, there can be a deep seated joy even in the midst of suffering.

2 Corinthians 6:10 addresses this issue. “Our hearts ache, yet we have the joy of the Lord.” A human response to a challenging time may be one of sorrow, but there is a realization that “Underneath are the everlasting arms of God.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) Nothing can come my way without His permission.

This applies to my stuttering and Parkinson’s. I’m not joyful about S and P. But most of the time, I can handle the stress of S and P, realizing God loves me and can use it to build character and a dependency on Him that can produce a much greater life than what I can do in my own strength. When I don’t have that mindset, the result is frustration, anger and self pity. Ugly, but my choice. The healthy alternative to the ugliness is the decision to rejoice.