Always is a lot.

It's a fact: I'm a pessimist. Most likely it comes from my logical nature. A long time ago I decided that pessimism is the best option. That way, if things go wrong it's exactly as you expected, and if things go right then you're pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately it doesn't always work. As said in one of my favorite movies, Anne of Avonlea, "I can't help myself from rising up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as flying through a sunset. Almost apace for the thud." Basically: I still get disappointed. Frequently.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
When I was much younger (living in Jamaica), I remember going to a missionary retreat where they taught us verse 17, "pray continually". However, until this last week, I hadn't really looked at the rest of the sentence. And it's very important. First, be joyful always. As the title says, always is a lot. Especially for a pessimist like me. But why shouldn't we have continual joy? Christ died for us. We have so much to look forward to. As it says in one of my very most favorite verses, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28). We should rejoice, because we have a God who is constantly working to bring good out of our lives. I'm not saying it's easy. Things still happen that get us down. At the time, when we're going through our rough patches, it's nearly impossible to perk up and say, "I'm sure someday I'll see how this is actually a good thing!" But what an incredible comfort to know that someday we will have joy again, and we can look back and see the benefits of our sorrows.
That's were the second (or third, actually) command enters. Give thanks in all circumstances. "All" is kinda like "always". It's a major word. How can we give thanks about everything? Again, it's not easy, but it is possible. Give thanks for the lessons learned. Give thanks for what didn't happen. For example, something pretty scary happened to me this last week at OAFC. It was a freak incident, but it still shook me pretty hard. For a while I was angry. I wondered, "Why did this happen to me?" But the more I've thought about it, the more I've found ways to give thanks. I'm well established enough in OAFC to not be scared away by one bad experience, whereas if it had happened to someone younger they may not have come back. I'm mature enough to go to the right people and make sure the situation is dealt with, instead of feeling isolated and unable to talk about it. Through my experience, the leaders have gotten practice in dealing with a major issue, and have developed a better procedure for the future. Does all of this make the memory of the incident less painful? No. But it shows that good can indeed come out of any situation.

I've been thinking of posting this song for a long time, but was waiting for the right words to go along with it. I think it fits here perfectly, so enjoy.