JOY

September 19, 2019

They were ordinary people—factory workers, office people, housewives, secretaries—ordinary folk who were good teachers. They taught Sunday School, youth groups, Vacation Bible School, Christian Service Brigade. I don’t think there was a professional teacher in the entire bunch. The men took me in as they worked on the church building Monday nights, giving me jobs I could handle and letting me help them with the bigger stuff. Even today more than fifty years later, I can point out parts of that building in which I had a part in its construction. I learned by watching and listening to these saints, most of whom have long gone to their reward. I didn’t realize it at the time, but they were not only teaching me the Scriptures, but also life itself.

J.O.Y. What is the secret to joy? They taught me; “Jesus, Others, You.” I thought of that today as I picked up a Christmas gift I had ordered for Linda. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am not an effusive person. Everyone around me can be cheering at a ballgame, but I sit there, enjoying the action, but not getting too enthused. And if I spend much time thinking about how I feel, or wondering why God doesn’t zap me with joy and hilarity, I can get downright depressed. Why? Because whenever I focus on my feelings, I’m putting myself first, and that is a sure path to melancholy. 

If however, I focus on what the Scriptures tell me about God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even without thinking about it, I feel pretty good. And when I’m focused on doing something that benefits someone else or will make them happy, something inside me begins to glow. That old formula I learned so many years ago still works: Joy is spelled Jesus, Others, You.