Don't Worry. Be Happy.

In every life we have some trouble

But when you worry you make it double

Don't worry, be happy

Don't worry, be happy now. - Bobby McFerrin

It was a command I first heard back in 1988, "Don't worry, be happy."  I didn't think much about it, then. I was in college, and even though I thought I was terribly busy, I didn't have a lot to worry about and I found a lot of time to do a lot of things that made me happy.  

One of the things that makes me happy today is my wood pile. As you can see from the picture above, I have a some work to do before winter!  But the work always makes me happy; finding wood, gathering wood together, cutting wood, and sitting in front of a fire. Wood makes me very, very happy.

As an adult, I have sometimes wondered if Bobby McFerrin's lovely command to simply, "Don't worry, be happy now" is practical.  In fact, sometimes it seems a little quixotic.  After all, I am no longer in college.  There is work to be done. There is a real world with real problems and great suffering.  

But this command to, "be happy now" isn't just another pearl of wisdom from 80's pop music (of which there are many!) it is a command that goes back to at least the Apostle Paul...and it is a command precisely because we live in a world with real work to be done and a world with real problems:

"Finally, beloved ones, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy - think about these things and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8

Sometimes it seems that these words fly right in the face of every dismal and depressing thought that we dress up in pious notions of responsibility and zeal.  Then we are reminded of the source.  This verse is from the transformed heart of a former Pharisee who was once quite willing to forego all of life's comforts for the rigor of Old Testament law.  These words as we have received them are the witness of one who was previously quite happy being miserable until later when he found a way to be happy under absolutely miserable circumstances.

So, today,  I won't listen to the news.  

I will pray for those that are facing natural and personal disasters with great anticipation and hope and I will look at my little wood pile and dream of cool days and cozy nights.  I will try not to worry by focusing on all that is good in this amazing world - the true and noble, the right and pure, the lovely and admirable, the excellent and praiseworthy. 

These good things in God's world are there, but we have to think about them.  They are near and far and big and small.  But the best thing of all is that we have a God who created us, walked in our shoes, died for us, and will never, ever be without us. So, beloved ones, don't worry, be happy.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

Joy

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him , and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and had come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' and the began to be merry." Luke 15:22-24

Moses had a difficult time speaking and God made him a leader of a new nation.

Gideon was a coward. God made him a great military hero.

Deborah was a judge and military leader in a patriarchal society.

David killed a giant though he was small and had no armor that would fit.

Saul was a Pharisee. God made him an apostle of Grace.

God is always taking unlikely people and doing unlikely things...

Like this lavish party thrown for the father's wayward son.  There is no hint of a rebuke or a consequence.  There is just an order to fire up the barbecue and bring out the fancy clothes and be merry.  I'm a father. Under similar circumstances, it is unlikely that I would treat my own child this way...

The unlikely picture is of an old pair of my shoes.  They were ready for retirement after a couple of decades of faithful service.  However, I took them in to my shoe guy.  He's not fast, but he's good. This is what he did. He did something unexpected.  

I believe that the unexpected is often what we can expect from God.  Moses' leadership, Gideon's courage, Deborah's strength, and Paul's grace all point to a God who has more faith in us then we sometimes do in ourselves.  We never know what God will do next...a new job, a new school, or maybe a new perspective, 

These shoes remind me of a hunch of something unexpected.  I've had it for a while.  

I believe that God is reminding me that I need to find more joy in my life.  After all, I was dead and I have been brought to life!  I was a very happy child.  I lost that somewhere along the way.  However, I know that the story of the Prodigal Son is really about a Father who loves, delights in, and rejoices with his children. I know that our Lord is not a stuffy curmudgeon in heaven waiting to whack our fingertips with a ruler. I know that our Savior is a Holy God who went to the ends of the earth and the depths of Hell to be with us.  I also know that God is serious about sin, but also serious about a party.

It's unexpected, but maybe it is what the world needs, an Apostle of Joy. Maybe it is time to put on my new, old shoes  and "begin to be merry." Who's with me?

Church Stopping. Less Doing. More being.