People (including me) are always seeking to know what God’s will is for their lives. It can almost become a mystical quest or a metaphorical journey. In actuality, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 spells it out. 1) Rejoice always, 2) pray continually, and 3) give thanks in all circumstances. That is God’s will for you.

It almost seems simplistic, but once you’ve been around a bit, you know how difficult it is to maintain a joyful spirit and not become cynical. You know how prayer can get lost amid a flurry of distractions and diversions. Giving thanks can easily be replaced by grumbling and giving complaints.

As always, God doesn’t call us to give thanks FOR everything but IN everything. I don’t rejoice for bad health or financial trouble or stressful situations, but I can be thankful in the midst of them because God is at work.

I think we tend to overcomplicate things, especially when it comes to faith. The whole KISS principle applies — Keep it Simple, Stupid. Or maybe you could find a kinder word than stupid when you’re sharing it with someone else.

Maybe Keep it Joyful. Or Keep it Prayerful. Or even Keep on Giving Thanks (though that spells out KOGT, which really isn’t a word). Or possibly forget the clever wordplay and keep your eyes on Jesus. Jesus had a joyful spirit. That doesn’t mean He was happy all the time. Scripture tells us He was a man of sorrow. But He was able to endure all the suffering because He saw joy at the end of it.

And that’s how we should be. Keep our eyes on the joy at the end of the road. Keep a prayerful spirit. Never stop telling God thank you. That is a good way to live.