Always

Marriage, relationship and family counselors warn against using words like ... always & never.  You are always late or you never take out the trash.  They are words that create defensiveness and usually are way to broad and make the statement untrue.  While doing some reading I came across something the Apostle Paul wrote when he wrote his letter to the church in Phillipi back in 62 AD.  He wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say again rejoice". The original language used here for the word always is 'pantote' and the definition is 'at all times, always, ever'.  So nothing was lost in translation over the 2000 plus years.  Paul really did tell them to Rejoice in the Lord always! If I am going to always do something, I have to give a concerted effort.  If I am going to always watch what I eat, it must be something I do on purpose.  If I am going to always smile at my staff, it must be something I do on purpose.  See ... the reason we don't use the word always in a relationship is because we can't meet that standard of always.  But, Paul tells these people he loves dearly to .... Rejoice in the Lord always ... no matter what.  Think about that ... no matter what!  What would my life be like, what would my relationships be like, how much good could I do, if I Rejoiced in the Lord always?