Light And Joy

Light And Joy

“He also said to them, 'Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed?  Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand?” (Mark 4:2)

         On New Year’s Eve I was feeling more than a little cynical regarding any impending personal epiphany, and my many past resolutions, which had faded out as whimpers, left me in no mood to begin another.  But the Holy Spirit was not giving up on me so easily -even in the presence of my obstinacy.  That morning’s daily reflection suggested listening for a “Word from God” as a guide for the new year.  I had considered the idea, and was actually in the very act of dismissing it, when three Words abruptly overrode my thoughts: “Light and Joy”.  God’s Word had broken through my crusty heart.

         Chastened, like a crotchety old man by God’s unrelenting Mercy, I repented of my negativity, and received his Word as personally tailored to guide me through this year.   I did not experience this as an epiphany moment, yet I knew with certainty those simple Words were calling me toward one.  They had no profound meaning, yet I was sure they would.

         Every day they have been percolating into my consciousness, as if rain preparing the earth.  They were seeds of Hope yet expressed, but still, taking root.  Today, in reading Mark’s Gospel about the parable of the lamp, that personal Word broke through the soil of my soul.   That pregnant Word which had remained formless, now, by the Breath of the Spirit, is beginning to show Itself to me.  

         It began with my pondering of the ridiculousness of Jesus’ question –Why would anyone bring in a lamp just to hide it under something?  What if he posed this question because its ridiculous scenario is a real problem that needs to be confronted?  Surely I would not be so foolish?  Could he be illustrating such a self-defeating action in order to point to something amiss in my life?  What Truth is his silly question speaking?

         The parable of the lamp fundamentally addresses God’s purpose for our life; as well as the consequence of living inside of, or, outside of that purpose.  A lamp is created to emit light.  Its purpose is to bring light to what is hidden in darkness.  We too, are created as vessels of Light.  To live our life outside of this purpose is as foolish as placing a lamp under a basket.

         St. Matthew speaks to this point: “You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden.”(5:14)  We have been created to be a Light to the world.  If we live our lives outside of our Divine Purpose, then Darkness remains around us.  If we live according to his purpose, then Darkness is expelled -for, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”(1John 1:5)   

         By itself, a lamp cannot produce light.  It merely holds the flame -burning the oil which was placed within it and ignited.  So too, we are not the source of the Light of Christ which we bear.  We are merely holders of the flame of God’s Love which lives within us.  And just as there is a vast difference between an ember and a roaring fire, so are there differences in the intensities of Light emanating from our lives.  The brightness of our Light is according to the Fire of Love in our heart for God.  And the Fire of Love in our heart correlates to the Faith, Hope and Love that is lived out in our life –to the degree we are living according to our Divine Purpose.

         The more alive we are in Faith, Hope and Love, the more Darkness is expelled around us.  And, it is a spiritual law that a life in Christ bears the fruit of Peace and Joy.  This is what my Personal Word “Light and Joy” is speaking to me: if there is Light in my life, there is Joy; if there is Joy in my life, there is Light.  The two cannot exist apart.  

          Joy then, is a dependable indicator of my spiritual health.  Not the giddy feel good joy of fickle happiness, but the deep joy of Peace, of knowing I am cupped in the Hand of God.  If I am lacking in Joy, I need only to increase the Light in my life –to renew the exercise of Faith, Hope and Love.  If I offer these to the world, then there will be the Light of Christ, and its Fruit will be Joy. 

Happy Tails

Happy Tails

Recently, neurologists discovered that smiling is not merely a result of a happy feeling.  They found that the act of smiling, even when forced, activates an area in our brain which produces a sense of well being; and, that same mood enhancing effect is produced in another’s brain when they view our smile.  Reading this discovery triggered a memory of a silly fantasy I had entertained.

Let me digress.  Our kitchen has a set of French doors to an open back porch.  Every morning as I grope my way to the coffee pot, I am met by our dog, Staush, who lies waiting outside those doors.  As he hears my approaching footsteps, even before he lifts his head, his tail begins to wag.  It never ceases to give me joy.  He remains there as I have my prayer time at the nearby table.  

It was there I happened upon the fantasy (my mind often wanders during prayer.)  It began as I was thanking God for how Lovingly Made is his gift of dog to man –how dogs bring such joy.  If my chair stirs, or I turn my head toward the door, Staush’s tail will start to wag.  It has very long, dense fluffy hair, so it is like a flag waving, saying, “I am happy that you are here with me!”  The joy that his wagging tail evoked within me, caused me to fantasize how wonderful it would be if humans had tails which evoked joy into each other.

God created man out of Love and for Love, so when we are loved, we experience the affirmation of our deepest need, and this, we experienced as Joy.  God is Triune Love -where the identity of the Three Persons dissolve into One, each belonging to the Other.  God created man in His Image.  Such then, explains our need to belong.

So maybe, in creating Man’s Best Friend, God created dog in man’s image.  In giving the dog a driving need to belong to a pack, the dog, like Man, can only be joyful in belonging to another.  

 Now I realize, my secret disappointment in God’s tailless design for us, is for naught.  He did not give us tails because he gave us something much better.  He gave us a Smile.  

A smile is better, not just because a tail would make it harder to wear cloths; it is way better because we can wear a smile when we are happy and when we are not.  Staush doesn’t know his tail is wagging, he just knows he is delighted in my presence, and his tail shouts it so.  A smile can sneak onto our face when we are happy.  But we can also make a smile to make another person happy.

The gift of our smile is as powerful as it is delightful.  With the slightest effort of a smile, we can interject Joy into the life of another –actually bypassing their choice in the matter.  And to possess such a profound power calls us to a profound responsibility.  Does not the Heavens demand, that in possessing such a Precious Gift, which has no cost, that we must give it away –especially to those most in need?

          Two centuries past, Abe Lincoln said, “Smile and you will be happy.”  He understood what neural researchers, only today, have discovered.  Two millennia past, Jesus said, “Smile and make people happy.” (Well, ok, he’s not actually recorded as saying that –I just deduced those words from his Word that was recorded.)  How different we would be, and the world around us, if with every person we meet, we would smile with our ‘Happy Tail’ –we would say, “I am happy that you are here with me!”