I still find it hard to believe that 2020 is coming to an end. It’s even harder to believe that you can find the time to rejoice though your heart may be in mourning. It’s a surreal feeling to experience but believe it or not, it’s possible. I’ve had my fair share of years like this in the past where my mind and my emotional state wasn’t at its best but somehow, I found a piece to hold on to that took that pain away.

I’m always inspired by how resilient we are as human beings which is why, even through the turmoil, I’m in awe of how so many individuals (including myself at times) have the strength to take it as it comes and push forward. For those who break down but never break because they know pain is temporary.

Pain is just a side effect of life and although it comes in various doses at different stages, it’s about how you treat it and how you fight through it. Every single person has their own story to tell. They’ve been dealt their own portion of grief and hurt. But the only reason one may feel like they’ve been defeated is because they aren’t reminded that they are still standing. Sometimes you have to be the one to remind yourself that the pain hasn’t killed you.

Easily mistaken, it is not about a love for adversity, it is about knowing a strength and a faith so great that adversity, in all its adverse manifestations, hardly even exists.

Criss Jami, Killosophy

Now it doesn’t mean that your journey ends there. There’s still much work to do on yourself, in your life, within yourself, and unfortunately it doesn’t mean pain will never make its appearance again. But it does mean something better awaits. Why? Because you won’t be the same person. Usually that’s for the better because that’s what life does to you. It helps you grow and it helps you change.

Sometimes you have to be the one to remind yourself that the pain hasn’t killed you.

So yes, rejoicing when times are tough seems like an absolute ludicrous idea, but THIS life just wouldn’t be enough with out it. As a Christian, we’re taught to rejoice in the midst of our circumstances because we have hope. That hope is Jesus and that’s who we hold on to, who we trust and who we find the strength to rejoice in.

This year is coming to an end in a few days but pain, the unexpected and the unfortunate circumstances aren’t going to end with it. However, pain is temporary. Let’s strive to rejoice in what it has the power to do in our lives, in ourselves and in those around us.