It's Good Work If You Can Get It

“Living on the surface and in the present bereft of strong echoes of the past, we are (occasionally) happy, but rarely truly joyous.” --- Miroslav Volf

Everybody wants to be happy.  We live in a country where the pursuit of happiness is written into our DNA – the pursuit, but not necessarily the attainment.

I want to be happy.  I want my wife to be happy, and my children.  Why, I want everyone to be happy.  If only there were a formula we could follow, or an elixir we could drink, or . . . wait a minute . . . Every book store has a section of shelves filled with books that promise just such a formula for happiness.  Countless substances we ingest or drink, we do so in hopes of a buzz of happiness.  But if there was a formula or substance that worked, don’t you suppose we would have found it by now?

Might I suggest a different pursuit?  Instead of seeking after what makes you happy, which at most is a fleeting experience, why not pursue something else?  Like love.  Like service to others.  It is simple really.

As an experiment, spend a day seeking, not your own satisfaction, but the satisfaction of your spouse.  Spend a week affirming the work of your colleagues rather than tooting your own horn.  Spend a Saturday doing what your children want to do instead of hauling them around with your own agenda.  Instead of watching tired reruns at the end of the day, write some notecards of appreciation to your elderly relatives. 

All of these suggestions are not about the pursuit of happiness, at least not for yourself.  But don’t be surprised if you find something better as a result – joy.

The quote above by Miroslav Volf, suggests that happiness is superficial, but that joy is deep - built through the richness of experience.  Our circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, but if there is depth to our lives, relationships that have lasted through years and decades, then joy might be possible no matter what our circumstances.  I believe in living fully in the present moment, but this moment is enriched by my past experiences, particularly through the relationships I have had.  And the anticipation of those relationships continuing into the future are an additional blessing that can sustain and encourage joy, no matter what my outward circumstances might be.

Better than happiness, I wish you joy.  And joy comes from nurturing relationships that last through time.  This is nothing new.  There is no secret formula, nor elixir. 

Huey Lewis and The News sang, 

“I want a new drug . . . one that makes me feel like I feel when I’m with you.”  

You see?  Relationship.  That’s what matters, and that’s what leads to joy.

Relationships take work, I know, but as David Wilcox says, “It’s good work, if you can get it.”

God Leads

I want to write a book.  Don’t know when I’ll have time to do that, but it would be a response to all the literature that is now so prolific on the subject of leadership.  Every week I get an email newsletter with leadership tips.  I regularly get invitations to participate in leadership summits, conferences, and workshops; all guaranteed to strengthen my leadership skills.  I can use all the help I can get.

But it is a curious thing.  The Bible reserves the term “lead,” almost exclusively as a description for the activity of God.  Psalm 5:8 is an example:  “Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness.”  While we often say that Moses led the people out of Egypt, in the memory of the people of Israel it was the Lord who led the people with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and Moses is remembered not so much as Israel’s leader but as God’s servant.

God leads.  The people serve.  Some church workshops have picked up on that servant language and provide instruction on “servant leadership.”  Oh, well, maybe that’s a shift in the right direction.

I think I can illustrate this kind of servant leadership in the life of Charles Eurey.  When my father got his first appointment as a pastor after returning to North Carolina from 18 years of missionary service in Brazil, he was sent to Rhyne Heights United Methodist Church in Lincolnton.  Our neighbor, two doors down from the parsonage, was Charles Eurey.  Charles was a strong voice in that small membership church, and he also was a regular attender at our annual conference at Lake Junaluska.   Mr. Eurey is a man of strong convictions and was never reluctant about expressing his opinions from the floor. 

My father recalls trying to convince the folks at Rhyne Heights that they should build an outdoor combination tennis and basketball court for the young people of the community as a way of reaching out.  Charles Eurey was opposed to the idea and voiced his opinion at the Administrative Board meeting.  However, when the vote was taken, the motion to build a recreational area was approved.  After the vote, Charles pulled out his check book and was the first to write a check to support what the church had decided.  Though his preference had been defeated, he accepted the will of the church, in deed and word.  He submitted to servanthood.

That sort of God-led service is what is being asked of us all who claim to be disciples of Christ.  If God is leading us, we can do no less than to follow.  Perhaps the world would pay more attention to Christians if we led a little less, and followed a little more.