Column: Joy is a choice

Kortney Mayne The Bridge

If you know me, it’s no secret that fall is my favorite season. Early in August, I start itching to decorate my house in pumpkins, to the horror of my family. I get excited about cooler weather, candles and pumpkin spice. As I revel in all things autumnal, others lament the loss of summer. They want their flip-flops and sunshine and they dread the thought of the cold winter months ahead.

The interesting thing about seasons is that they will come whether we want them to or not. And we cannot hold onto one, any more than we can force it to go by more quickly. Seasons are just that — seasons. They are ever-changing. We can learn to embrace them, or we will spend our time trying to control things we were never meant to.

Seasons of life are no different. I have walked through many seasons in my life. Some of them were wonderful and others were painful, but I could no more control them than I could control the coming of autumn. They must either be embraced or endured. The choice is ours.

I remember the season of being in college, standing on the brink of adulthood. It was a season of preparation and waiting to see what my life would be. Next came the season of early marriage as we built our home, followed by a time of raising precious babies. I look back on that season with fondness. Now I am in a new season of letting go, as my babies are suddenly teenagers ready to spread their wings. The seasons of life are ever-changing, and I cannot stop them. They must be embraced or endured.

So how do we walk through seasons with grace instead of grumbling? We find joy not in the season, but in the giver of the season.

He is our constant when life is everchanging. And he tells us that embracing our seasons and finding joy is a choice that we make. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” It doesn’t say that we should rejoice if everything is going our way. It doesn’t add that we can rejoice if we are in a season we like. It just commands us to rejoice in the Lord … no matter what.

In fact, a few verses later it says, “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” In these verses, Paul teaches that our joy is found not in the circumstances we face, but apart from them. The seasons may change, but our joy doesn’t have to.

Where does joy come from? This is the great hope we have in knowing that there is a God who loves us. He is ever-present and he is steady. When life is unpredictable, he is the same. And we can trust that he has a plan for us. Even if we don’t understand why we are walking through a season, God does. We can put our hope and our faith in him.

Joy is a choice. We may not automatically be content in every situation. Paul said he learned to be content, and we can learn as well. A great way to embrace your season is to rejoice in the Lord, no matter what. Walk forward with the mindset of the Psalmist in Chapter 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Whether you are going through winter, spring, summer or fall, find joy not in the season, but in the one who gave you the breath to walk through it.