30 March 2002
Subject: The Joy of Living (Joie de Vivre)
Dear Ones,
It's the Saturday before Easter. Tomorrow we celebrate the
resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To know that He arose from
the dead and He lives today brings pure joy to my life.
Today, I will offer a few thoughts on the joy of living
notwithstanding the fact that I wrote a message last year on Looking For
Joy.
Webster defines joy as a feeling of happiness that comes
from success, good fortune, or a sense of well being. A few synonyms of joy are
bliss, delight, enjoyment and pleasure.
In thinking back on the days of my youth, my first
recollection of hearing the word "joy" was when we sang the little
chorus in Sunday School, "I have joy, joy, joy, joy... down in my heart....
down in my heart to stay." I didn't know what it meant then, I just knew
that I had it down in my heart.... and it made me feel real good.
Recently, I read a quote taken from the Book of Mormon. It
said, "Man is that he might have joy". But, just where does man find
this joy in life?
When searching for the answer to such
questions, I begin with the Good Book. In it, I read that Jesus came that we
might have life "more abundantly" (John 10:10). I believe that John
was talking about "the joy of living" a full life and we experience it
daily when we live by the principles Jesus taught.
In reading the Book of Ecclesiastes, the same
message seems to come through loud and clear. Without God in the picture,
life is meaningless; with God in the picture, there can be joy in living.
In other words, when God is acknowledged and reverenced and obeyed, life becomes
meaningful; the believer can actually find happiness and enjoyment in living.
Many others who came before us, also,
reached the same conclusion. Ben Franklin is quoted, as once saying, “Joy is
not in things it is in us!" Another person expressed it even better;
"Joy comes from the Lord who lives within us, not from what's happening
around us."
George Bernard Shaw in writing On True Joy in Life
said, "This is the one true joy in life, the being used for a purpose
recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a
feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the
world will not devote itself to making you happy. ....... I am of the opinion
that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my
privilege to do for it whatever I can. ....... I want to be thoroughly used up
when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its
own sake. Life is no `brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which
I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as
possible before handing it on to future generations."
"Joie de Vivre" is a French expression that
literally means Joy of Living, but in common use it has a deeper meaning. If
someone is said to have "Joie de Vivre" it means that they live life
with gusto, making the most of every moment. Living life to the fullest... with
a joyful heart.... should be our earnest desire, if not.... we are just
marking time.
I have a feeling "down in my heart" which says that to know, love and
serve the Lord is pure joy. I suspect that that joy began in those Sunday School
classes long ago.
I pray that today you will find the way to true joy in your
life..... And remember that Jesus said, "I am the way...."
Blessings to you and yours this Easter!!
Don
