The delight of rejoicing

Rejoice.

It's a word that's been changing my life.

I used to lament when musicians entered their 30s; it seems like their music often departs from the soul-searching questions of the deep and instead, gets happy. They are content with life, and their art reflects that. I didn't get it before and thought people's music got worse when they reached this stage of their lives; now, I am grateful to have soundtracks that express joy, contentment and gratitude to listen to and live with as soundtracks to my life.

One album in particular I have been loving lately is Ben Rector's new album "The Joy of Music." If you haven't already, you should listen to it in its entirety sometime soon. With tracks like "Thank You," "Joy" and "Living My Best Life" -- plus, appearances from Snoop Dogg on "Sunday" and Kenny G on "Hanging Out" -- it is an arrival of a man who is letting go of striving for the things he thought he wanted and instead living into what is around him (his family, getting older and the mundane) and finding it so deeply good. I love the trust and faith in the line in "Thank You" in which he sings to God, "I got these questions / Things I just don't understand / but I bet you'll sort it out." He is surprised by the delight of how easy surrender is: a simple letting go and giving in to goodness.

Especially with the past two years and all that is currently going on in the world, joy is a charism we need more of. Philippians 4:4-7 (NAB) encourages us in it: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: Rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Rejoicing, I think, might be the opposite of controlling. Maybe it is much easier than we think to lay it all down, and maybe it is a process to finally arrive at that realization, and all of those trials leading up to it and getting so much wrong before the breakthrough is what finally brings joy. The verses from Philippians remind me of what Saint John Paul II said: "Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song." Hallelujah. What if we took a chance and tried out Jesus' offer? He says his burden is light.

So, this Easter, and today, and every day, dance. Sing. Be goofy. Even if you have nothing in particular to be happy about -- or if right now you have more things to be sad about -- give yourself permission to be joyful. Even if it's just for a few seconds or minutes a day. Maybe, without you noticing, these moments will grow and grow until you find yourself exchanging discouragement for joy. Maybe, you will find yourself trading in contentment with the certainty of sorrow for the surprise of delight that is faith.

Maybe, it will change your life.