BY DEL JOHNSON
The following was presented at a morning worship service at the General Conference in Silver Spring, Maryland. We retain many of the elements of oral delivery.--Editors.
NE TIME LONG AGO my wife and I went to one of those meetings put on by some of those special gurus that study personality. And to my great amazement and disappointment (somewhat) I discovered that I had a fair amount of melancholy in my personality. My wife, on the other hand, was not at all surprised, because she believes that I'm the perfect antidote for joy. One of her favorite remarks is "Delbert [she calls me "Delbert" when she is particularly peeved at me], you know how to suck all the joy out of life."
And I must admit that I've always found that I have a need to temper the unrealistic joy of others with a dose of reality. Far be it from me to rain on somebody else's parade, but we melancholies have that duty in life and go out doing the good work. I made up my mind one time to be an optimist, but I don't think it's going to work out.
Joy Beyond Externals
Paul is a prolific writer, and as you know he writes in many different veins. He writes as a theologian in Romans and Galatians, and as a patient but scolding father in 1 and 2 Corinthians. But one of my favorite books among his writings is the book of Philippians. And that's because it's such a positive book. Take a few moments sometime at your leisure and just read through Philippians and see if you can find all the positive words-the rejoice words, the praise words, the glad words, the happy words, the joy words-in the Epistle. It's a phenomenon all the more remarkable when you think about Paul's probable location as he wrote. According to biblical scholars, he was either in a prison cell or under house arrest, his freedoms most assuredly restricted. Yet here he is, writing a very happy book encouraging the Philippians to be joyful and to demonstrate their joy in their commitment to the Lord.
In an 1874 letter, Ellen White wrote: "Christ never murmured, never uttered discontent, displeasure, or resentment. He was never disheartened, discouraged, ruffled, or fretted. He was patient, calm, and self-possessed under the most exciting and trying circumstances. All His works were performed with a quiet dignity and ease, whatever commotion was around Him. Applause did not elate Him. He feared not the threats of His enemies. He moved amid the world of excitement, of violence and crime, [and watch this metaphor] as the sun moves above the clouds. Human passions and commotions and trials were beneath Him. He sailed like the sun above them all."1
According to Paul, rejoicing is a decision that you make every day. German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned because of his protests against the führer, wrote shortly before he was executed by the Nazis: "God cannot endure the unfestive, mirthless attitude of ours in which we eat our bread in sorrow." (Think about that this noon as you sit in the cafeteria and eat your unmeat. Enjoy the time!) Let me finish what Bonhoeffer says: "God cannot endure that unfestive, mirthless attitude of ours in which we eat our bread in sorrow with pretentious busy haste or even with shame. Through our daily meals he is calling us to rejoice, to keep holiday in the midst of our working day."2
All Seasons
Bud Robinson was a stammering Texas cowboy who brought thousands of people to Christ during his career. He loved the Lord. But he was not very educated, and it is said by those who knew him that every day he prayed the same prayer in the morning as he got up. He said, "O Lord, give me a backbone as big as a saw log and ribs like the large timbers under the church floor. Put iron shoes on my feet and galvanized breeches on my body. Give me a rhino hide for a skin, and hang up a wagonload of determination at the gable-end of my soul. Help me to sign the contract to fight the devil as long as I've got a tooth-and [when I lose the tooth] then gum him until I die."3
This morning I made a decision. I made a decision to bring joy with me to work today. Now, I brought joy in a brown paper bag, because I know that there are some people who feel that you should not openly carry joy around with you. This morning I went into my wife's cupboard and I brought Joy.4 And I have realized that in order to maintain joy in my home I must carefully and in a timely basis return this Joy to my house this evening, or else joy will be gone from my home. This is special Joy. This is concentrated Joy. The bottle says that only a little Joy will go a long way. Joy takes that which is icky, dirty, yucky, and smelly and restores it to its original clean and beautiful condition.
Joy is useful in numerous different situations. It says here, "One spoonful cleans a sinkful." Joy is powerful and long-lasting. If you look on the back, it says that this Joy will not harm the environment. Joy is biodegradable. And if you look at the bottom of the bottle, there is that little triangle that indicates that even the container is reusable. You can fill the bottle with Joy and use it again and again and again.
Restricting Joy
But after all the good things, the bottle does have some warnings. And I think that some of these warnings were written by some Christians I know. It says here: "Keep Joy away from children," because we all know that children should not be allowed to experiment with Joy without being under careful supervision. It also says: "Keep Joy out of your eyes. If Joy gets in your eyes, please immediately rinse thoroughly with water."
This morning when I drove in to work I had two paper bags. I had this one with Joy in it, and I had the other one with my breakfast, which I eat in the car as I drive. And I reached over and I picked up the wrong bottle. But fortunately I discovered my mistake before swallowing Joy. But there's even instructions in the event that such a thing should happen: If you were to swallow Joy, and have too much Joy inside, you must immediately dilute it by drinking copious amounts of water, because Joy concentrated could be a health hazard. Joy should always be diluted, not fully concentrated.
I leave you with these words:
An old man sat alone one day
And watched as the sun went on its way.
He stretched his frame with a quiet sigh
And he thought of his friends in Philippi.
He bowed his head to silently pray,
"Lord, what shall I write to my friends today?"
The guard at the door shuffled boot-shod feet.
The old man thought of freedom sweet.
He remembered journeys 'cross desert sand,
And ships that broke as they drove to land.
Scourgings and prison and stone striking bone-
Old injuries ached as he sat there alone.
A future unknown, a job undone,
Soon to rest in sleep awaiting God's Son . . .
"What shall I write to show them I care?
What can I say to prevent their despair?"
He lifts the pen as he makes his choice
And writes a single word: "Rejoice!"
The words flow quick 'neath the title bold.
He must finish soon, e'er the day grows cold.
"Be glad if I die, rejoice if I live;
Sing when receiving; praise when you give.
Give thanks if you've lost, rejoice when you've won,
And eagerly look for the return of God's Son."
Darkness steals o'er the cell, and the writing must cease,
So he finishes off with a blessing of peace.
He scans once again through the personal scrawl,
Then lifting his pen, he signs, "All His love, Paul."
Today I wish for you the greatest joy and peace and happiness that heaven can bestow upon you.
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1 Ellen G. White letter 51a, 1874, in Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, pp. 427, 428.
2 Cal and Rose Samra, Holy Humor: Inspirational Wit and Cartoons (Carmel, N.Y.: Guideposts), 1996, p. 143.
3 Ibid., p. 179.
4 Joy is the brand name of a dishwashing detergent in the United States.
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Del Johnson is the administrator of the North American Division retirement plan. He writes from Silver Spring, Maryland.
