The Choice to Rejoice
Sermon Recap Blog
Choosing Joy When Life Feels Overwhelming
Joy is one of the virtues of Christmas, and many don’t know the secret to joy:
Joy is both a choice we make and an experience we have when we see ourselves as part of a bigger story.
The Apostle Paul confirmed this when he said to choose Joy: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!”And secular researcher, Paul Wong, not even a Christian found that central to lasting joy is having a sense that you are part of a bigger story.
But when the responsibilities pile up, we can feel locked out of joy like getting locked out of our house. End-of-year goals, holiday schedules, financial pressure, travel, or maybe even loneliness can cause us to barely breathe, let alone choose joy. We fall for the lie that joy can only be had by being on a beach with no responsibilities.
So What can help us carry responsibilities, even big responsibilities, so we can increase joy and decrease the overwhelm?
Joy can be yours even with carrying great responsibilities this season. The story of Mary shows us 5 ways:
1. Accept that God has chosen you as the right person for the job.
Gabriel told Mary she was "highly favored" and that "the Lord is with you." This wasn't random. Out of everyone in the world, God looked at Mary and said, "You're the one I want."
God does the same with you. He sees all your gifts, talents, and abilities, and He says you're the right person for your assignment. You're the right parent for that child. The right leader for that group. The right person in that difficult situation.
God always sees more in His people than they see in themselves. And sometimes we need someone else to remind us of this truth. You are right where you're supposed to be because God has placed you there with purpose.
2. Admit your inability to figure it out apart from God's help.
Mary's response was honest: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" She wasn't doubting God's power—she was admitting her own powerlessness and asking for His perspective.
There's a crucial difference between honest doubt and lack of faith. God welcomes our questions. When we ask God "how?" we're inviting Him to take us on a quest toward understanding.
Too often, when we panic, we plan. We rush to figure things out on our own. But if we plan before we pray—before we ask God for His perspective—we might make the wrong decisions entirely. We might choose the wrong partner, the wrong investment, the wrong path.
When facing something overwhelming, start with: "God, I can't figure this out. How can this be?"
3. Anchor yourself in God's Spirit and His Word.
Gabriel gave Mary the trade secret: "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you."
He reminded her of creation—how God's Spirit hovered over the formless void and spoke everything into existence. The same God who created the universe from nothing would create life in Mary's womb.
Then Gabriel said something powerful: "For no word from God will ever fail." Nothing is impossible for our God.
When you anchor your soul in God's Word and His Spirit, your problems begin to shrink because God's power gets bigger and bigger. The Spirit and the Word work together—we need both.
It's human nature to anchor ourselves to something when we're stressed. But scrolling social media until our brains are numb or shopping for things we don't need won't nourish our souls. Those are like eating blankets instead of real food—they feel like they're helping, but they provide no actual nourishment.
Your soul needs to be anchored in God's Word, in His faithfulness to your life, in the ways He's come through before.
4. Get around others who "got it."
Mary didn't sit home alone with her assignment. She "got ready and hurried" to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also experiencing a miraculous pregnancy. When Mary arrived, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women!"
Imagine how encouraged Mary felt being around someone who understood.
When we're overwhelmed, we're not meant to isolate. We're meant to surround ourselves with Spirit-filled people who can give us friendship and encouragement. We need people who can look us in the eyes and remind us why we're here, what the mission really is.
The mission isn't just to survive until we see Jesus one day. The mission is to spread the news of Jesus, to be light and salt in our world right now.
The Weapon of Worship
After all this, Mary did something remarkable: she worshiped. "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
She chose to rejoice. She made the decision to worship.
Worship is a weapon when you're overwhelmed. When praise goes up, strength comes down. As Mary worshiped, she was reminded of who God is and what He's like. She remembered that God is bigger than her problems.
The size of your responsibility isn't as important as the size of your God.
Don't Wait for Joy
Let's not wait until after the holidays to experience joy. Let's not wait until the stress is over. Let's choose to rejoice today in God our Savior, in God who is great, in God who is big.
You are part of His bigger story. He has a place and purpose for you. And the same God who gave you your assignment is the same God who will carry you through it.
This Christmas, make the choice to rejoice.
-by Aaron Ophaug
