Two weeks ago, my pastor used this quote in his sermon:
“It would seem that Our Lord
finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures,
fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us,
like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he
cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far
too easily pleased.”
-
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
I have been thinking about it off and on for the last two
weeks. It seems that there have been things that happened or came up to draw me
back to this quote and the idea that we try to settle for happiness when really
we should be reaching for this infinite joy that God offers. The desires of the
flesh are temporary and fleeting. When we embrace them we are like a watering
can with a crack in it. We can hold water and pour it out to give life to
others, but it never goes as far as it ought to because we are leaking away.
And we are OK with that because we almost don’t know how to be happy without
those things. Our true joy is masked when we set the desires of our flesh
before our desire to know and be with God.
You think it would be easier to turn away from all that,
especially since we know what it does to us.
Psalm 73 says this:
1 Surely God is good to
Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had
almost slipped; I
had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no
struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.
5 They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.
…
13 Surely in vain
I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.
14 All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had
spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
…
23 Yet I am always
with you; you
hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
I know I struggle with being content with my lot. I know I
struggle with not envying others for their stuff. It’s a daily battle. Some
days are easier than others. Some days I am reminded that really, it’s just
stuff, and I can’t take it with me. Other days I am consumed with my need for
something else, something more, and something different.
This is the difference between happiness and joy. We want to
be happy. We are happy making mud pies because it occupies us and gives us
something to do. Happiness is a feeling. It comes and goes. Joy is a state of
being. If we are joyful it means that we are not defined by our situation
because we rooted and grounded in something that is unchanging and is strong
enough to withstand the trials and troubles of this world.
When things are not fair, and we feel that we are lacking,
joy keeps us rooted in our faith because we know that one day God will take us into glory.
When we are tempted to do wrong, to compromise our values
and change our convictions because we want more, our love of God and His truth
reminds us that there is a final destiny
for us and for them. Which do we want?
Joy is not something we get from life, but from God. From
knowing that God is the strength of our
hearts and our portion forever. It becomes our state of being when we
consciously choose God over the things of this world because we recognize that
there is something far greater in store for us both here and in heaven.
God help us all to choose joy over happiness. God help us to
see how small and fleeting our desires are, and how great and constant His
glory is, and that we get to share in it!
