When the simple things are hard... 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. Sometimes when I'm reading a passage from my Bible, I just want to say, "God, you have got to be kidding me." I read the passage and just shake my head, going,"What are you thinking, that is just not possible":. Usually it is a short passage, deceptively simple, and unambiguous. When I read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 this is exactly what I think. Be joyful ALWAYs? Pray at ALL times? Be thankful in ALL circumstances? Wow, that is one tall order. I immediately start listing all the time when I'm sure this could not be true: the time I awoke to find my wife dead beside me; the three times I sat in the ICU while a doctor explained how my daughter injuries had put her into a coma and they had no idea of whether she would survive the accidents or not; the last time I talked to my father and he said, "They took my hearing aids home, I can't hear you, call another time"; and last Saturday when the medicine that controls my arthritis quit working and every joint in my body was screaming. Be Joyful? Be Thankful? What could God be thinking? Right now we are in the middle of Lent, the waiting time before Good Friday. Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Christ. We remember at this time: Jesus was betrayed, denied, sentenced unjustly and crucified. Be Joyful? Be Thankful? It is hard to fathom? Unless we remember that we so often live within a narrow time-frame. We see and remember that which is most compelling, noisy, dramatic and in our face. When the world is coming apart around you, it is difficult to see a bigger, more complete picture. If we can't get past Good Friday, if we can't see beyond the loss of our Guide and Teacher, we can't see Easter. We can't see that God is in change, has a plan and we will be thankful He does. In the midst of tragedy we are not joyful for the death, the hurt, the loneliness or loss. We are thankful, we are Joyful that God is in charge. He is there to walk with us as we deal with what life had thrown our way. He has a plan, an answer, a solution. We will never know what is it if we fail to pray without ceasing, with joy and thanksgiving that we are not alone.