Saturday, November 5, 2011

Joy produced by the actions of others ...

The sun crept through the limbs of the Blond trees this morning, a lovely crisp November morning. A day before we fall back in time, the morning prepared us for those inevitable time-trotting minutes.

In our neck of the woods, a strange phrase at best, spotlights are pointed toward one thing and one thing only (though I disagree with that notion profoundly).  In our neck of the woods, Alabama-LSU is the thing. Anything else gets short-changed. Even the important New Orleans Saints-Tampa Bay Bucs Sunday game shrinks by comparison.

Alabama-LSU is the game of the century I read. It is the brawl for it all, I read. It is Bamagaddeon. It is all these things and much, much more. I, having gone to Mississippi State, don't quite care as much as do these purple and gold and crimson and white folks, but I, too, will be star gazing tonight. But I understand the game's importance nonetheless.

It is interesting to me that games of this importance shrink or grow church attendance. I wonder what Ahhhh. Games of this importance have impact on how the congregation will feel tomorrow morning. But they shouldn't. I used to work with a fellow who said that we should not live our lives through the lives of others, or we should not allow our own joy to be produced by the actions of others.

I believe that is spot on. It is fabulously important, too. If we allowed joy to be produced by the actions of others, then we stand to allow depression to be produced by the actions of others as well. We stand to allow anxiety, happiness, worry, hilarity and so forth. The better option is to allow our own joy and our own woes to be produced by our own actions and our own actions alone.

Watching Alabama running back Trent Richardson, a fabulous player, do his own thing is wonderful. But it is what it is. We should not take that for more than it is. Were we able to run the football as Richardson does, that would produce a great amount of joy, granted. But that should not give us more joy than raking leaves or weed-eating the yard of a poor person who has no weed-eater or rake.

Paul wrote, "19For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy."

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