Rejoice in the Lord always.
—Philippians 4:4
Sometimes we’re blissfully happy; sometimes we’re not.
So, what do we do with Paul’s counsel to rejoice always?
If we are convinced that happiness depends on our circumstances, we will do our best to ensure that our conditions are always positive, and ditch anything or anyone that puts us in a negative mood.
Paul had a different take on it: “Rejoice in the Lord always,” he wrote. “Rejoice” and “always” are conditional to the three words between them: “in the Lord.”
If your happiness depends on circumstances, you’re in for a bumpy ride, for sooner or later, hard times will come. But if your joy is anchored “in the Lord”—in who he is, what he has promised, and how much he loves you—you have bought into indestructible happiness.
That’s a peg that you can hang your hat on.