“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We’ve visited 1 Thessalonians before; in fact, it was 5:16, where Paul instructs us to “Rejoice evermore“. (Bible source)
In verse 18, he continues to encourage us to cling to what is good, what is Godly, and what is true while also discarding what is not.
It’s interesting how much the Bible presses the subject of “clinging” and staying true to what God desires of us as Christians, despite what circumstances we might be going through. Life itself is one big struggle after another and rarely ever gets easier, and so it is imperative that we as believers (and non-believers) take this bit if wisdom to heart.
Lately, this is been slipping from my focus. As life has been getting more stressful and more “real” than ever before, I’ve noticed I’ve begun to wonder away in most all aspects. And before I launch into the (short) meat of this post, I’d like to make clear one thing: I am not a seasoned Christian.
While I spent most of my childhood in church there were several gap years after my parents moved states and became involved with starting their own business. As a teenager, I got back into it and have since had that “up-and-down but ever increasing” type of relationship with Christ. It’s like trying to lose weight except in reverse: it’s never linear.
College helped it grow more than ever.
But as I prepare to restart school at a higher level, attempt to scramble together as much money as I can, and have recently become engaged to my boyfriend (fiance now), things and changes have begun to pile up faster than I can seem to handle them. Financial aid, living arrangements, jobs, maintaining a relationship, staying physically in-shape, eating right, having downtime…it all adds up. And one thing that I haven’t added to that ever-growing list is God.
Until now.
What does your list look like, and how can you reorder it so that the priorities are at the top?