Not too long ago, I sat in the outside area of a restaurant/café. I could feel the change in the air and thought it the best thing to do. After all, I love fall. Even though leaves are falling and things are becoming less “lush green” outside, I do love the season. I find that there is a lot of promise with the fall season. It’s just a few days away, and I can’t wait.
So, the day I was eating outside, I was alone, and I was watching folks around me. I admit – I was even eavesdropping on a couple of conversations. Some of the folks I could hear talking seemed to be chatting about business matters. Maybe they were on the up-and-coming track. Even though I’m relatively positive, I was sorta looking for some signs of stress or wear in their words and expressions (maybe I need to broaden my opportunities more versus eavesdropping on conversations and trying to make peculiar determinations about things said that I know nothing about…).
But, to my surprise (and my delight) they were having a great time together. And you know what, they weren’t drinking beer or wine! There was a lot of laughter. I’m sure life was not perfect for any one of them – life is not perfect for any of us. It was a small group of folks at the table; they appeared to be “cut from the same cloth” (so to speak). They appeared to be rather advantaged. Who knows? They may have been arms traders; but the thing is they were having fun. And, I just kind of thought “…well, praise the Lord!”
Some of my conversations with others can be pretty serious. Sometimes they are heavily theological (not often – but sometimes). Sometimes I’m with folks, and we’re talking about the political landscape, or we are talking just general “church shop talk.” And I know – I need to lighten up more than I do.
Life can be pretty serious. Our jobs or our school experiences are pretty serious. There are serious conversations to be had with those we love. There is a lot of “seriousness” to be considered in our country today. Things can even be freaky or scary! The thing is – we don’t have to assume those postures every single moment.
I don’t know what Jesus was like. Who does? I mean – if he was in some public kind of “eatery,” I wonder how he carried himself in such environments? Maybe he was, in fact, a “stick-in-the-mud.” To some degree, I imagine he carried the weight of the world, and that likely prevented him from being just “silly happy.” Then, again, I like to think he laughed. I like to think the people who gathered around him for a meal or just to visit enjoyed him very much. We can seriously ponder things, but if there is no joy, we are in a heap of trouble.
No doubt, life is serious enough on its own, and we’ll rub up against that repeatedly. I would encourage you, nonetheless, to look for joy as often as possible. Surely God takes delight in our ability to be joyful!
Leave a Reply