JOY – Jesus, others, yourself; I’m sure everyone has heard that acrostic that has been around for a very long time. In fact, it is so old that we probably hear it and don’t give it any real thought anymore. For some reason, however, it was on my mind this morning, and it occurred to me that those three words encapsulate a worldview, a whole way of life. The idea, of course, is that living that way of life is the path to true and lasting joy.
The acrostic would mean nothing to the unbeliever, but the truth is, I haven’t spoken with any avowed atheists since I left the University of Georgia. There aren’t too many of them here in the rural South. Most everyone around here at least gives lip service to a belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, what we do have a lot of are people who acknowledge Jesus verbally but live as if He doesn’t exist. At least there is nothing in their lifestyle that would reflect such a belief. Ask them if they are a Christian, and they will tell you yes, cause that’s what they were taught to believe from the time they were crawling on all fours. But then you watch the choices they make from day to day, and it’s clear they aren’t asking themselves what Jesus would do.
Many people, however, and I put myself in this category, really do try our best to live a life pleasing to God. Our faith informs our decisions, and so we are decent, moral people. It’s just that we get distracted and forget to keep Jesus the major focus in our lives. So many things in the visible, material world demand our attention that we can too easily neglect the unseen, spiritual world. I let this happen way too often. The daily routine of life takes over, the trivial becomes urgent, and the truly important things get put off until a more convenient time.
Because we are all prone to the sin of selfishness, we tend to get that JOY thing out of order. I would much rather paint a picture than go clean my mother’s kitchen. I have to make myself trudge up the hill to her house to clean up her mess. But I won’t always have her with me. If I can’t look back years from now and see that I was there for her when she needed me, I can never be truly happy. Besides, the love and appreciation she gives me makes it all worthwhile.
There are some people, and we probably all know one or two, who knowingly and deliberately choose to put self before all else. These are the people who always do exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it - regardless of the effect it has on others. They no doubt believe that doing so will make them happy – and it will momentarily. The problem is they never recognize how they push people away, denying themselves the love and respect that would bring them the greatest joy life has to offer. They miss out on the joy that comes from helping those in need and knowing that they bring love and happiness to the lives of those around them. They may never know the sheer pleasure that comes from seeing someone’s face light up because they met that person’s deepest needs.
The key, I think, is to remember that that which brings us momentary pleasure is not what gives us lasting joy. That little acrostic turns out to be rather profound.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hope in the Midst of Fear
We live in scary times. North Korea test fires nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them while renouncing their peace agreement with South Korea. The Taliban makes further advances into nuclear-armed Pakistan, while Iranian leaders seem hell bent on creating their own weapons of mass destruction. Nearly eight years after 9/11, al Qaeda is still out there, plotting to kill even more Americans.
Among our more immediate concerns, the economy worries us most of all. Every day we hear of new lay-offs, long-time businesses shutting down, and corporations going into bankruptcy. Incomes are slashed as workers are given unpaid furloughs. Credit card bills mushroom out of control, and the card companies raise rates on money already borrowed. Grocery and fuel prices rise while income falls. Predictably, theft and break-ins are on the increase. Local and state governments, facing huge shortfalls, cut services at a time when they are needed most. We stand by helplessly as our federal government spends incomprehensible amounts of money, mortgaging our future and our children’s future.
In light of these very real threats to our way of life, FDR’s famous pronouncement that “All we have to fear is fear itself” seems somewhat Pollyannaish. The dangers we face are all too real. But just because fear is not the only thing to be feared does not mean it should not be feared. (You may need to read that sentence twice.) When fear grips a nation, ugly things happen. People look for someone to blame and simplistic solutions to their problems. They demonize those who think differently about the problems we face rather than cooperate with them to find real answers. Our fears divide us into enemy camps where we hunker down, at a time when we need to unite and take action. The news media, loving nothing better than a good fight, perpetuates the problem by focusing on the extremists and their sound bites.
Fear causes us to forget. We forget that others have been through worse times and emerged stronger than ever. WWII must surely have seemed like the end of the world to those who lived through it. Our current crisis pales beside The Great Depression our grandparents somehow survived. We also forget all the many blessings we enjoyed when times were better. We forget to be thankful for what we’ve still got – which is plenty.
Fear causes us to over-react, taking actions we would never consider in better times. We allow our government leaders to assume ever-greater control, forgetting the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said, “Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.”
Fear immobilizes us. It steals our joy, and blinds us to all that is still good and right in the world. I should know, because I’ve battled with this demon for most of my life, and I like to think I’ve learned a few things about how to deal with it. Sometimes we just need to turn off the television and walk out into the sunshine. As the psalmist said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” We here in western North Carolina are fortunate to see those hills on a daily basis. Sometimes I just have to sit in my porch rocker and stare out at the blue mountain range surrounding me. Those mountains are eternal, just like the God who made them, and He will always be with me, no matter what happens in the future. Those hills have stood through wars, riots, and financial crises. They will continue to stand throughout the course of time, and so can we.
Among our more immediate concerns, the economy worries us most of all. Every day we hear of new lay-offs, long-time businesses shutting down, and corporations going into bankruptcy. Incomes are slashed as workers are given unpaid furloughs. Credit card bills mushroom out of control, and the card companies raise rates on money already borrowed. Grocery and fuel prices rise while income falls. Predictably, theft and break-ins are on the increase. Local and state governments, facing huge shortfalls, cut services at a time when they are needed most. We stand by helplessly as our federal government spends incomprehensible amounts of money, mortgaging our future and our children’s future.
In light of these very real threats to our way of life, FDR’s famous pronouncement that “All we have to fear is fear itself” seems somewhat Pollyannaish. The dangers we face are all too real. But just because fear is not the only thing to be feared does not mean it should not be feared. (You may need to read that sentence twice.) When fear grips a nation, ugly things happen. People look for someone to blame and simplistic solutions to their problems. They demonize those who think differently about the problems we face rather than cooperate with them to find real answers. Our fears divide us into enemy camps where we hunker down, at a time when we need to unite and take action. The news media, loving nothing better than a good fight, perpetuates the problem by focusing on the extremists and their sound bites.
Fear causes us to forget. We forget that others have been through worse times and emerged stronger than ever. WWII must surely have seemed like the end of the world to those who lived through it. Our current crisis pales beside The Great Depression our grandparents somehow survived. We also forget all the many blessings we enjoyed when times were better. We forget to be thankful for what we’ve still got – which is plenty.
Fear causes us to over-react, taking actions we would never consider in better times. We allow our government leaders to assume ever-greater control, forgetting the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said, “Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.”
Fear immobilizes us. It steals our joy, and blinds us to all that is still good and right in the world. I should know, because I’ve battled with this demon for most of my life, and I like to think I’ve learned a few things about how to deal with it. Sometimes we just need to turn off the television and walk out into the sunshine. As the psalmist said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” We here in western North Carolina are fortunate to see those hills on a daily basis. Sometimes I just have to sit in my porch rocker and stare out at the blue mountain range surrounding me. Those mountains are eternal, just like the God who made them, and He will always be with me, no matter what happens in the future. Those hills have stood through wars, riots, and financial crises. They will continue to stand throughout the course of time, and so can we.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
