Thoughts on Joy

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   C.H. Spurgeon in his book Lectures to my Students has some wise, if
caustic, advice. "Sepulchral tones may fit a man to be an undertaker, but
Lazarus is not called out of his grave by hollow moans." "I know brethren who
from head to foot, in garb, tone, manner, necktie and boots are so utterly
parsonic that no particle of manhood is visible.... Some men appear to have a
white cravat twisted round their souls, their manhood is throttled with that
starched rag." "An individual who has no geniality about him had better be an
undertaker, and bury the dead, for he will never succeed in influencing the
living." "I commend cheerfulness to all who would win souls; not levity and
frothiness, but a genial, happy spirit. There are more flies caught with honey
than with vinegar, and there will be more souls led to heaven by a man who
wears heaven in his face than by one who bears death in his looks." 
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 An anonymous friar in a Nebraska monastery wrote the following late in life: 
 
    If I had my life to live over again, I'd try to make more mistakes next
time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been
this trip. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more
mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice
cream and less beans. If I had to do it over again I would go places, do
things, and travel lighter. If I had my life to live over I would start
barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would
ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies. 
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   A Princeton Seminary professor discovered that the spirit of optimism
really does make a difference. He made a study of great preachers across the
past centuries. He noted their tremendous varieties of personalities and
gifts. Then he asked the question, "What do these outstanding pulpiteers all
have in common besides their faith?" After several years of searching he found
the answer. It was their cheerfulness. In most cases, they were happy men. 
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 The legend is told of a desert wanderer who found a crystal spring of
unsurpassed freshness. The water was so pure he decided to bring some to his
king. Barely satisfying his own thirst, he filled a leather bottle with the
clear liquid and carried it many days beneath the desert sun before he reached
the palace. When he finally laid his offering at the feet of his sovereign,
the water had become stale and rank due to the old container in which it had
been stored. But the king would not let his faithful subject even imagine that
it was unfit for use. He tasted it with expressions of gratitude and delight,
and sent away the loyal heart filled with gladness. After he had gone, others
sampled it and expressed their surprise that the king had even pretended to
enjoy it. "Ah!" said he, "it was not the water he tasted, but the love that
prompted the offering." Many times our service is marked by multiplied
imperfections, but the Master looks at our motives and says "It is good."