In All Circumstances

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I Thessalonians 5: 16-18

As Christians we are always seeking to know God's will.  I love this verse in Thessalonians because it spells out what God's will is for us so clearly.  This has been a verse I have meditated on often over this past year.  It's easy to be joyful, praying and thankful when things are going well.  But during difficult times in our lives, all of these are hard to do- it's a constant struggle to choose to be joyful, we don't know how to pray, and it's hard to find anything to be thankful for.  It seems easier to mope, pout and grumble than to be joyful, prayerful and thankful.  But when we step out in faith and choose to obey God's will our whole outlook changes.  And we also impact our families when we choose to obey.  When we choose to be joyful, cover our families in prayer and are openly thankful, our children, in turn also have better attitudes, don't they?  They learn by watching how we respond to life's circumstances. Ouch!!  What a reminder that more is caught than taught.  May our prayer be that we will conform more and more to God's will and set the tone for our homes.