And the sentiment in that week is the one that stands out too, the sentiment, the theme of joy. And what is joy, after all? What is joy and why is joy so hard to get, and so hard to find? Well, part of it comes down to this quote from an episode of family guy that came out some time when family guy was still funny. And not just degenerate propaganda. Which it always was. Peter seems awfully interested in Bonnie, his neighbor's wife, and Stewie is confused about it. And Stewie's reasoning goes as follows:
- 00:08:49 What do you mean? Lois is prettier than Bonnie.
- 00:08:51 Oh, I get it.
- 00:08:52 It's worse, but it's different.
- 00:08:54 Okay, all right, so that's something.
- 00:08:55 Okay.
And there you have it. Setup, joke, the end. But that joke, that throwaway line of saying that Peter's wife is prettier than the woman he is interested in is notable, because it speaks to our essentially perpetual dissatisfaction with things, and with how elusive joy is going to end up being. For why is it that we are going to always find something novel to be more enticing than what we already have.
If I may wax about affairs for a second, in the reading that I've done on extramarital affairs, the conventional wisdom seems to be for those involved that you can't parley your affair partner into your marital partner eventually and expect things to work out. There's a reason why you're looking outside the relationship for companionship, and it tends to be because the drudgery of the day to day aspects of the relationship, the familiarity with your spouse and the daily grind of building a life together tend to sour things with your spouse. It's a matter of understanding that the thrill of the novelty is enough to crowd out the comfort of the familiar. The desire for what is new can despoil any real building that you might do in the long term.
Now, when the Bible talks about finding joy, as it does in our reading from Thessalonians, buried in there is the idea, the notion that we ought to rejoice always, but also to give thanks in all circumstances, and that's pretty key right there. For in the average North American Christian life, there is a great deal, a massive amount of things to be thankful for, but the problem is that we forget it a lot of the time. Essentially, the advice from Thessalonians only works if it's taken all together. That is, you're going to find it hard to rejoice always unless you're being thankful in all circumstances. Why is that? Because your brain is going to switch off the joy sensors in it unless the thankfulness centres are being lit up on a regular basis.
Don't believe me? Consider the account of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus of Nazareth, son of David, after they had stood a long way off, and had begged for help. Jesus healed them, and told them to go and show themselves to the priests. They went and did so. Only one came back. And if this is a bit too abstract for you, then think of yourself the morning after the cold that you caught from your child's kindergarten class lifts. Think about how great it is to breathe through both nostrils, to breathe without coughing, to swallow without agony, that sort of thing. Then think about this morning, and how you didn't give your nasal health a second thought. Very likely, you woke up breathed through both nostrils and didn't think for one second about how grateful you were for that ability. You probably take your health pretty much for granted until it goes away, same with your house, your job, your car, your spouse, your children, your friends, all of it.
So why wait until then?
Why wait until your house has been burgled to get an alarm system? Why wait until your car has been stolen to get a club for it? Why wait until things are gone to appreciate them? Start by appreciating the blessings that God has given you today. Start by living in a state of gratitude for what you have now. start by rediscovering the things that God has given you, rediscovering the wonderful blessings that you enjoy, that are around you constantly. Start by praying through the Lord's prayer, being grateful for daily bread. Start by saying grace and being genuinely thankful for the food you are about to receive. Avoid the horrendous virus of complacency, the virus that saps you of any interest and fire, and replaces it with tepid vacuous misery. You will get awfully used to your blessings and will find no joy in them unless you rediscover them day by day. Unwrap your house daily, your car daily. Take joy in your job daily, be thankful for your food daily. Unwrap your spouse daily, and rediscover all the blessings that God has already given you. And one of the biggest and best of these is the Holy Scriptures.
In the scriptures, you will find the truth of God's word, what he wants to get across to you, what he wants you to know and see. You will find the reality of Christ's love for you, how he wants to make all things new in your life. You will encounter the treasure of knowing the love of Christ through the cross, his movement to restore you to life and salvation, his desire to ensure that your families and relationships might last forever. You will find the inestimable joy of knowing even as you are fully known.
Whatever else you unwrap this Christmas, unwrap your Bible. It's a really good first step towards being appreciative of the blessings you enjoy already, and finding joy in them.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment