{"id":3804,"date":"2025-12-27T05:27:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T10:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2025-12-27T05:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T10:27:00","slug":"rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"yoast-breadcrumbs\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/\">Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb <span class=\"breadcrumb_last\" aria-current=\"page\">Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">5<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Rejoice. The word struck me without warning as I read a pastor\u2019s weekly blog. Lightning-bolt bright and impossible to ignore. I\u2019d been praying about the word God wanted me to focus on in 2026, and the answer arrived with unmistakable clarity: \u201cRejoice in the Lord always\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians%204%3A4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philippians 4:4<\/a> NIV). What interesting timing. Just days removed from\u00a0shoulder replacement\u00a0surgery, every movement required determination and resulted in pain. Rejoicing would demand great effort. Still, God\u2019s direction was clear. Maybe I should reframe my limitations as an invitation rather than an interruption. After all, Paul wrote to the Philippian church not from a pleasant place but from a Roman prison. My situation was better than his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-rejoicing-from-a-roman-prison\" data-level=\"2\">Rejoicing from a Roman prison<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-questions-to-ask-before-i-choose\" data-level=\"2\">Questions to Ask Before I Choose<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-what-do-biblical-authors-mean-when-they-tell-us-to-rejoice\" data-level=\"3\">What do biblical authors mean when they tell us to \u201crejoice\u201d?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-how-do-rejoicing-praise-and-thanksgiving-differ\" data-level=\"3\">How do rejoicing, praise, and thanksgiving differ?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-why-might-god-command-us-to-rejoice\" data-level=\"3\">Why might God command us to rejoice?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-what-about-you\" data-level=\"2\">What About You?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-join-the-conversation\" data-level=\"2\">Join the Conversation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rejoicing-from-a-roman-prison\">Rejoicing from a Roman prison<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/paul_roman_guard_thumbnail.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Paul wrote about rejoicing regardless of circumstances\" class=\"wp-image-3812\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Most commentators believe Paul wrote to the church at Philippi while under house arrest in Rome around AD 60\u201362. Though allowed visitors, he lived chained to a Roman soldier, awaiting a trial that could end in either his release or execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Commentators consider<em>\u00a0Philippians<\/em>\u00a0to be the most joy-saturated letter in the New Testament. Variations of the words joy and rejoice appear sixteen times in one hundred and four verses. Nevertheless, the writer acknowledged his suffering, opposition, and uncertainty, identifying with the Philippian believers who also faced persecution. Paul\u2019s imprisonment had stripped away his comfort, control, and confidence in his survival, yet had not touched the source of his joy. He portrays radical discipleship by anchoring his joy in the Lord, not in relief from hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-questions-to-ask-before-i-choose\">Questions to Ask Before I Choose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Each year, I choose a word\u2014one I invite God to use to transform my heart and one I adopt to measure my spiritual growth. Before I commit, I research the concept and pray, trying to discern God\u2019s direction. I want <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/how-to-rejoice-when-life-drains-our-joy\/\">Paul\u2019s <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/how-to-rejoice-when-life-drains-our-joy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kind of joy<\/a> but need answers to my questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-do-biblical-authors-mean-when-they-tell-us-to-rejoice\">What do biblical authors mean when they tell us to \u201crejoice\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Paul refused to let Rome define his reality. The chains binding him to Christ were stronger than those attached to the guard\u00a0beside\u00a0him. Prison might define his physical condition but not his mental, emotional, and spiritual. The apostle rose above his situation by focusing on the God who could use his suffering for good. For Paul, rejoicing was a choice to focus on God\u2019s character despite his circumstances. Rather than command us to rejoice in pain, injustice, or loss, Scripture invites us to celebrate the Lord\u2019s presence, purpose, and promises. Paul\u2019s joy didn\u2019t flow from favorable conditions but from his confidence in Christ. To rejoice is not to deny our distress but to declare that suffering doesn\u2019t have the last word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cBut even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians%202%3A17-18&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philippians 2:17-18<\/a> NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-do-rejoicing-praise-and-thanksgiving-differ\">How do rejoicing, praise, and thanksgiving differ?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Rejoicing is our inner response to the wonder and majesty of God. Praise becomes an external expression of an internal emotion as we celebrate the Lord\u2019s worthiness in worship, testimony, and music. In thanksgiving, we communicate gratitude for what God has done. Rejoicing is the root. Praise and thanksgiving are the fruit.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cRejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God\u2019s will for you in Christ Jesus.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205%3A16-18&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1 Thessalonians 5:16-18<\/a> NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-might-god-command-us-to-rejoice\">Why might God command us to rejoice?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The choice to rejoice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Shapes our heart<\/strong>, training us to seek God\u2019s perspective about our trials. As we trust God to work all things\u2014even the painful ones\u2014together for good, he conforms us to the image of Christ.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cConsider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=James%201%3A2-3&amp;version=CSB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James 1:2-3<\/a> CSB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Stretches our faith<\/strong>, teaching us to rely on God\u2019s promises instead of our perceptions. We don\u2019t believe because we see, but we see because we believe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWhat has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians%201%3A12&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philippians 1:12<\/a> NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Strengthens our endurance<\/strong>, transforming dependence on our strength into reliance on his. The more we rejoice in the Lord, the more we recognize his power within us. Like exercise builds a muscle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThose who trust in the LORD will find new strength.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Isaiah%2040%3A31&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Isaiah 40:31<\/a> NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-about-you\">What About You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As believers, our deepest desire is to <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/change-how-to-become-more-like-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">become more like Jesus<\/a>, not by accident, but through daily, intentional choices. The habit of choosing one word each year helps me pay attention to the work God wants to do in my heart and to my spiritual growth. Rather than a personality trait or mood I wait to feel, rejoicing is a spiritual discipline I must practice on purpose. When <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/jobs-wife-tragedy-asking-god-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">circumstances resist joy<\/a> and emotions threaten to take charge, rejoicing becomes an expression of trust. To keep this calling before me, I\u2019ll place the word where my eyes rest each day, on my phone screen and computer desktop. A gentle reminder to return to joy in the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">How will you partner with God this year to grow in your faith?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Philippians%204%3A4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Philippians 4:4<\/a> NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Frejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy%2F&#038;text=Rejoice%20in%20the%20Lord%20Always%3A%20Choosing%20Joy%20Despite%20Circumstances%20by%20%40NancyLucenay%20on%20Beyond%20the%20Front%20Door&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances by @NancyLucenay on Beyond the Front Door <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Frejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy%2F&#038;text=Rejoice%20in%20the%20Lord%20Always%3A%20Choosing%20Joy%20Despite%20Circumstances%20by%20%40NancyLucenay%20on%20Beyond%20the%20Front%20Door&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-join-the-conversation\">Join the Conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I\u2019d love to hear from you! What is your spiritual goal for next year, and how will you measure your spiritual growth? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the Comments box at the bottom of the page. (If you don&#8217;t see the Comments box, click Read More and scroll down.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rejoicing is not a personality trait or a denial of pain. Drawing from Paul\u2019s prison letter to the Philippians, this post explores what it means to rejoice in the Lord always and how choosing joy despite our circumstances becomes an act of trust and spiritual growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[383,285,336],"tags":[556,460,459,439,557,436],"class_list":["post-3804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-following-jesus","category-men-of-the-bible","category-new-testament-men-of-the-bible","tag-556","tag-beyond-the-front-door","tag-nancy-lucenay","tag-one-word","tag-paul","tag-philippians"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@NancyLucenay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NancyLucenay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nancy Lucenay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nancy Lucenay\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30\"},\"headline\":\"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-27T10:27:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":991,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"2026\",\"Beyond the Front Door\",\"Nancy Lucenay\",\"one word\",\"Paul\",\"Philippians\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Following Jesus\",\"Men of the Bible\",\"New Testament\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#respond\"]}],\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-27T10:27:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1\",\"width\":1366,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Rejoice in the Lord always \u2013 biblical encouragement to trust God in hard seasons\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond the Front Door\",\"description\":\"Connecting Faith to Life\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30\",\"name\":\"Nancy Lucenay\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1\",\"width\":1425,\"height\":1645,\"caption\":\"Nancy Lucenay\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1\"},\"description\":\"Retired pastor\u2019s wife, Bible teacher, &amp; writer. Connecting faith to life\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nancylucenay.com\\\/staging\\\/8869\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nancylucenayblog\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nancylucenay\\\/?fbclid=IwAR2CNKUTu-_u2pxXv7xEWhFYk8apr3LNT_-rqs0kWb7t5QFoFb7anvyqHNU\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/nancy-lucenay-b05079115\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/NancyLucenayAuthor\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/NancyLucenay\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@nancylucenay2025\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay","description":"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay","twitter_description":"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","twitter_creator":"@NancyLucenay","twitter_site":"@NancyLucenay","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nancy Lucenay","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/"},"author":{"name":"Nancy Lucenay","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30"},"headline":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances","datePublished":"2025-12-27T10:27:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/"},"wordCount":991,"commentCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","keywords":["2026","Beyond the Front Door","Nancy Lucenay","one word","Paul","Philippians"],"articleSection":["Following Jesus","Men of the Bible","New Testament"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#respond"]}],"accessibilityFeature":["tableOfContents"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/","url":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/","name":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances - Nancy Lucenay","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-12-27T10:27:00+00:00","description":"Paul teaches us how to rejoice despite circumstances. Explore biblical joy, suffering, and the spiritual discipline of rejoicing.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","width":1366,"height":768,"caption":"Rejoice in the Lord always \u2013 biblical encouragement to trust God in hard seasons"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/rejoice-in-the-lord-always-choosing-joy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rejoice in the Lord Always: Choosing Joy Despite Circumstances"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/","name":"Beyond the Front Door","description":"Connecting Faith to Life","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/#\/schema\/person\/59c03f215eeae6f8fa302d6d6d1caa30","name":"Nancy Lucenay","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1","width":1425,"height":1645,"caption":"Nancy Lucenay"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Lucenay-Nancy.jpg?fit=1425%2C1645&ssl=1"},"description":"Retired pastor\u2019s wife, Bible teacher, &amp; writer. Connecting faith to life","sameAs":["https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nancylucenayblog","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nancylucenay\/?fbclid=IwAR2CNKUTu-_u2pxXv7xEWhFYk8apr3LNT_-rqs0kWb7t5QFoFb7anvyqHNU","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nancy-lucenay-b05079115\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/NancyLucenayAuthor\/","https:\/\/x.com\/NancyLucenay","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@nancylucenay2025"]}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Always.jpg?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paUWAp-Zm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}