How to find joy in every circumstance

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!— Philippians 4:4

The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a beautiful new cathedral in London. A local journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he went to the site and found the most miserable looking people he could and asked the question, “What are you doing?”

The first worker responded, “I’m cutting stone for only 10 shillings a day.” The second answered, “I’m putting in 10 hard hours a day for this measly job.”

The journalist then looked over and saw a man who was energetic and seemed very happy about his job. So he went to him and asked the same question, “What are you doing here?”

The worker answered, “I’m helping Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”

Often times, our outlook on life has much more to do with our joy than the actual things we are doing. And it’s in those times when our circumstances are worse than what we’d hoped that we can either despise our situation or we can see it as an opportunity to do something great for God’s Kingdom.

Whatever your circumstances are today, make the choice to be about God’s purposes within them. See your situation as a mission from God and you’ll find amazing joy in any circumstance!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would transform your thinking in whatever circumstance you face to see your situation as a mission from Him.

Questions for Thought

Why do you think it’s sometimes easy to allow your circumstances to steal your joy?

How might seeing your situation today as a mission from God change your attitude?