| The Joy of Service |
Chapter 2 |
Page 3 |
Joy is not merely a privilege which a Christian may enjoy – it is also a duty. It is a fruit of the Spirit, and not a mere accident of temperament, or a mere index of experience. Christian life should always be victorious. We are to be more than conquerors through Him that loved us. The experience told so exuberantly in the following lines ought not to be impossible many days in any truly victorious life,–
“Give me joy, give me joy, O my friends!
For once in my life has a day
Passed over my head and out of my sight,
And my soul has naught to unsay.
No querulous word to the fair little child
Who drew me from study to play;
No fretful reply to the hundred and one
Who questioned me, gravely and gay;
No word to the beggar I fain would take back,
No word to the debtor at bay;
No angry retorts to those who misjudge,
And desire not a nay, but a yea;
No word, though I know I remember them all,
Which I would, if I could, e’er unsay.
Give me joy, give me joy, O my friends!
For the patience that lasted all day.”
Christians are to be light, and light is a symbol of joy. Gloom, therefore, in the life of any friend of the Master is a contradiction of Christ likeness. It is our duty to be cheerful, joyful, songful, whatever the circumstances or experience may be. We should never yield to discouragement, to depression, to disheartenment. If we let the darkness into our soul, it will darken our eyes, and mar the beauty of our life. Discouragement is dangerous. It robs a man of strength and skill, and makes him faint in the struggle. It chills his heart, takes the enthusiasm out of his life, and imperils all his career. One of the firm resolves of every man should be, never to be discouraged, since discouragement is defeat.
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