The Reason to Rejoice

Do you know that the Bible tells us over 200 times to “rejoice”? That means to be happy, glad, excited, and full of good thoughts and smiles! Just think about it—God wants you to be having a good day today. (Isn’t that a reason to smile?) And I’m sure you want to be happy, too. That’s why you want everything to go your way, right? It is easy to be joyful then… but what about when things are going wrong?

Has anyone ever asked you, “Where’s your smile?” Many things can grab our happiness from us. A bump on the toe… someone taking our stuff… being told “no”… When I don’t feel happy, my lips just don’t curve up. What about you? Even if you do smile, there isn’t any joy inside. After all, what is there to rejoice about?

Ahh, that’s just the treasure hunt we are on right now. There is a reason to rejoice, even when everything is going wrong! Look at the cover story again. Logan and Emily were happy… even when their fun ended. Why was that? Yes, because they had a Daddy that loved them.

Does someone love you? Maybe you haven’t thought about it, but how many nice things have they done for you today? How many ways have they showed they cared? Did you count two or three… maybe even eight or nine? You might not think that it is so wonderful at first, but just think about what if you didn’t have that love. What would your life be like then? Now think about how much you are loved and smile. Smile until you feel your heart start to get happy inside. I’m glad that someone loves you right now! Aren’t you?

You see, joy does come from getting what you want. Not getting what you think you want (like candy and toys), but what you really want—to be loved. God made you to be loved. And the wonderful thing is, that God loves you and always has. The problem comes when you don’t believe in His love… because of the sin and troubles in your life. Those things become like a wall to keep you from God’s love—and from being able to be really happy. God wants to break down that wall and shine His love into your heart, so that you can rejoice in Him always, no matter what goes wrong!