TWO SHORT QUESTIONS

I re-watched an old favorite movie recently. In case you have forgotten, let me once again remind you there are God lessons all around us---even in a secular movie.


NO--I am not going to delve into the subject of "Bucket Lists".  I will save that for another day.  The great thing about re-watching or re-reading is that the second time through, I many times find something profound that I missed the first time.  Once again this proved to be the case.

In one of the scenes Freeman says “You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions.  Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not.  ‘Have you found joy in your life?’  ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’”   WHAM, it got me right between the eyes!


Most of us have experienced joy in our lives.  While life is not endlessly joyful, there are certainly wonderful moments of joy along the path.  The birth of a child or grandchild come to mind immediately when considering my moments of joy.  The glimpse of breath-taking and soul filling sights has filled me to the brim with joy.  Deep conversation and the company of good friends create a joyful heart in me.  The first glimpse of spring blooms, the change of colors in the fall leaves, and the shear beauty of a carpet of snow have all filled me with joy.  Those special moments of worship when the presence of God was palatable that have left me so joyful I was moved to tears.  Suffice it to say, my life has been filled with joy.

The deep and thought provoking question is "Has your life brought joy to others?"  Joy is defined as a feeling of great happiness and pleasure in the secular world.  The question therefore becomes have you brought pleasure and happiness to others?  Some of us have certainly brought happiness and pleasure to our children and grandchildren.   Unfortunately, the happiness and pleasure can often be short lived.  The question then becomes, "What have you done for me today?"  Doesn't the simple act of loving another bring happiness and pleasure?   We all want to be loved and for others to treat us with love brings us joy.  BUT--this is all fleeting, temporary because it is of this world.

It would seem the answer to both of these questions might be summarized by the temporary state of joy found in most earthly pleasures.  Here today, but gone tomorrow, we are then on a quest to find the next glimpse of joy.  Is there any eternal infinite joy?

Yes, joy is eternal and infinite to the Believer.  Joy is an essential part of the Believer's life.  We are told Believers are "commanded to rejoice and characterized by rejoicing." (Desiring God)  When we experience suffering and loss, our deep reservoir of joy is often that which sustains us.  Though we sometimes feel desolate and drained, completely devoid of joy, we can rest assured that God is committed to our joy in Him.  We will have moments of joy on this terrestrial ball, but our complete and eternal joy is only found in Jesus.  
"It is good news that joy is not optional in the Christian life, because the final weight falls not on our weak backs, but on the almighty shoulders of God himself."  Yes--we know joy--and because of this joy---we share the reason for our joy with others.  We have known joy and we have shared this joy with others, because it is too good to not share with those whom we love.

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you,
 and that your joy may be full.
John 15:11

2 comments

  1. Because of Jesus, we can have that deep, immeasurable joy in our hearts always, even in the hardest of times. There is a huge gulf between authentic joy and fleeting happiness in this world. May we cling to the promise of God's eternal joy!
    Blessings, Lulu!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!