Our Scripture is Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”
Jesus doesn’t suggest it. He commands it. Rejoice! Even when people insult you. Even when they persecute you. Even when lies fly like arrows aimed at your heart. Rejoice!
Impossible? Perhaps. Until you remember where to look.
Richie Parker was born without arms. He could have focused on the missing. Instead, he chose differently. “I don’t focus on the one thing I can’t do,” he said. “I focus on the thousands of things I can do.” He learned to drive. Earned an engineering degree. Worked for a championship NASCAR team. All of this with no arms!
You see, feelings follow focus. Change what you’re looking at, thinking about, and you’ll change how you’re feeling.
Jesus offers two lenses for hard times.
First, look at what you have, not what you’ve lost. Your reward awaits in heaven.
Second, look ahead. Ten thousand years from now, this brief season of suffering will be a distant memory. But you? You’ll still have a million years stretching before you.
So when rejoicing seems impossible, remember: it’s not about denying the pain. It’s about choosing your focus. Look at what remains. Look at what’s coming.
And watch joy find its way back to you.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.