Happiness in Brokenness

Have you ever seen something that made your heart drop to your stomach? Have you ever experienced something that made you completely sick to your stomach? Your ex ever start dating the girl he constantly told you to NOT worry about? You ever see something you wish you could unsee? Yeah, me too. I'll be real here, I'll be vulnerable. I've been through things that honestly suck. Like, suck a lot. I've had my heart broken on multiple occasions. There have been times where I felt totally alone, and there have been times where it was extremely difficult to stay positive. We live in a broken, broken world. We live in a world where we will experience hurt. Where things will go wrong. That's just normal, y'all!

We can't control what happens to us. We can't control what other people do or how they treat us. Even though we can't control situations, we can control how we react to them. I don't know about y'all, but when something happens that hurts me, I want to just shut down. I don't always want to react in a positive way. Sometimes, all I can think to do is be negative. However, being negative wouldn't help anything. That's why I'm here to tell you this: even if nothing is going your way, find happiness in the brokenness. I can think of some instances that completely broke me. And I'll be honest, it was insanely difficult to be joyful in those circumstances. You might be thinking "how the heck could you find joy in trials?" One word, one name- Jesus.

The MSG version of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." Let's break this down!

Verse 16: This verse calls us to be cheerful no. matter. what. We aren't called to be cheerful when everything is going right in our lives. We're called to be cheerful always! Why though? That question is answered in verse 18. But first...

Verse 17: This verse calls us to pray all. the. time. We should be in communication with God constantly. Why though? Because complete joy can only be found in Jesus. If we want to be supplied with a joy that surpasses all understanding, we must seek Christ. Seek Christ not only through prayer, but also through His Word!

Verse 18: This verse calls us to thank God no matter what happens. This sounds insane sometimes. At times, it sounds absolutely ridiculous to say, "hey God, thanks for ______." We don't want to thank God when we lose someone. Or when we're cheated on. Or when we get bad news. Or when we're just stright up hurting. It's difficult to thank God when we don't know why we should be thankful. Ya know, when it feels like the world is ending. However, we are called to thank God in both the good times and in the bad times. Why though? Because everything happens for a reason. Yeah that sounds cheesy, but it's also true!

I said I was going to be real and vulnerable. So here it goes. Breakups are hard for me. Especially when a relationship ends under bad circumstances. I definitely don't want to thank God for heartbreak. But, I do. Why though? Because everything seriously does happen for a reason. I believe people are put in your life for a reason, even if it's just for a season. I think God has used, and is using, both my relationships and my heartbreaks to prepare me for even greater things. Like I said, it can be difficult to thank God when we don't understand why "bad" things are happening. I put the word "bad" in quotation marks because there are so many situations I can look back on and seriously thank God for them, even though they sucked at the time. I can look back and say "thank you God for that heartbreak, it saved me from a lot of mistakes" and "thank you God for that heartbreak, it taught me a lot." Y'all, God knows better than us. If we can just fully trust in Him, we can see the big picture. We can see why things happen, and we can even be okay with them.

So, when something "bad" happens, don't let yourself be overwhelmed by the question, "why are bad things happening?" Instead, be thankful. Trust in God. Ask Him to reveal the bigger picture, and He will. God's plan is perfect. He makes no mistakes. Every single thing that you go through (both good and bad) happens for a reason. Every situation happens according to God's perfect, faultless plan. Be confident in that.

Going back to verse 18: why are we supposed to be cheerful always? Because this is the way God wants us to live. Being cheerful always, being in prayer constantly, and being immensely thankful for everything. I know things get hard sometimes. I know it's hard to be positive 24/7. However, when you find yourself wanting to look at things negatively, remember 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Because guys- Jesus went through times that were tough too. I mean seriously, He died on the CROSS and carried the weight of **every** sin- past, present, AND future! When you look at things from that perspective, it makes being dumped, getting a bad grade, being lied to, and all other upsetting situations seem like a breeze! Life isn't about the pursuit of happiness. Rather, it's about joy in the pursuit of Christ.

Life will never be perfect. Why though? Because we live in a broken, messed up world full of broken, messed up people. We aren't perfect by any means, so our lives won't be either. That's why we need Jesus. Because HE is the **only** perfect thing.

So. When life throws hard times at you, just remember this:

You CAN get through it.

You WILL be okay.

You CAN find happiness in the brokenness.

But.

You CAN'T do it alone.

You NEED Jesus, and He is more than happy to be with you always.

"The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives."

- Russel M. Nelson