IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

 

Friday, August 7, 2020

 

IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

 

 

Luke 12:15

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

 

           Jesus followed up with a parable about a rich farmer who was so successful he felt he had everything he would ever need. Then Jesus added two more verses that brings pause to all who feel self-satisfied. Here they are.

 

Luke 12:20-21

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

           Being “rich toward God” does not mean that one donates much money to the church but, rather, focuses on an attitude of heart. A simple trip to Walmart is an adventure in an unhappy culture. Masked and breathing in my own carbon dioxide, I am funneled into only one of the two possible entrances to the store. Inside, I spy, through fogged lenses, an abundance of workers each wearing a vest that proudly proclaims that it was made from six recycled plastic bottles. The workers are also masked and foggy headed as they stand around seemingly confused as to what they are doing and why you are there. No, they have no idea where to find my hairspray. Perhaps I should try hardware.

 

           Even rioters and looters are unhappy as they return home with a gigantic TV only to discover that they failed to steal the wiring required to make it work.

 

Peggy Noonan writes: “Why was I born? What is the meaning of life, and its purpose? Where and how can I find happiness? Why is life so full of pain and difficulty? How should we live, by what model or principles or arrangements?

A great mystery embraces our lives, John Paul said. Then he added something that has been to me deeply inspiring:

These questions we ask do not come only from your restless mind and are not just products of your very human anxiety. They come from God. They are the beginning of the process by which you find them. God prompts them. He made you ask.

The questions are, in fact, a kind of preparation for God, a necessary preamble to the story he wants to write on your heart. And the moment you ask them, your freedom has been set in motion. You become more sharply aware that there are choices.

 

           Being “rich toward God” refers to our inner cravings. What is it that we long for? Believers are convinced that there are two worlds and that this present one will never satisfy the longing of the soul. Solomon puts forth a thesis and then concludes that “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Ecclesiastes chapters 1 and 12) His journal concludes with one simple bit of advice.

 

Eccl 12:13

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

 

Dear Lord, Let me not despair of the stream of questions because they are the beginnings of the answers. AMEN