True Joy

God lives and works today. Almost everyone is looking for satisfaction in life, for something that will make him truly happy. But how many people ever really find what they're looking for? Don't most people just end up unhappy and disillusioned with life? Today's meditation by Basilea Schlink called True Joy tells about someone who did find happiness and satisfaction.

A glimpse into the life of Francis of Assisi will give us a clue in our search for joy. Nobody can show us the way to true joy as well as St. Francis of Assisi. His life, like those of all true servants and disciples of Jesus, demonstrates to us that true divine joy comes right then when, humanly speaking, we should be depressed and sad.

You ask, how can that be? How did St. Francis learn to rejoice? And how can we? Most of us are acquainted with the Canticle of the Son by St. Francis. When he composed this canticle, his heart was full with exuberant joy and praise to the Lord. Yet this joy was born out of great suffering.

Two years before his death, a small shack had been built for him out of reeds. His eyesight was failing, and he could no longer bear the light. To add to St. Francis' woes, the Lord also sent him a terrible plague of rats.

The vermin tormented him day and night. He almost despaired of life and called to God to have mercy on him. Yet one day the Lord made it very clear to him, Brother Francis, if someone were to give you such a marvelous treasure for your weakness and affliction, so that all the treasures in the world would seem like nothing compared to it, wouldn't you rejoice greatly? At that St. Francis addressed himself, So I shall rejoice in my weakness and afflictions, and the Lord will give me new strength.

I want to thank God the Father at all times. Thus his suffering was transformed into joy and glory. Yes, St. Francis, almost blind, overflowed with praise and joy that the Lord had created the sun in all its radiance.

Out of suffering was born the tremendous joy and a wonderful song of praise to the Lord, the Canticle of the Sun. But now the decisive question, how did St. Francis of Assisi, as well as thousands of Christians who suffer nowadays for the sake of Jesus, come to this eternal true joy? It was love for Jesus that transformed sorrow into joy. If we love Jesus, we commit ourselves to Him and to His will, even if it brings suffering.

If we love Jesus, we trust Him wholeheartedly, and by our trusting, we find the treasure that lies hidden in the hard shell of suffering. And so we shall become happy if we discover this treasure. I praise the blessing, the words confessing the paths of pain and darkest night.

God's will is goodness and lovingkindness, so good the ways by which He leads. For access to the web, please write to God Lives and Works Today, 9849 North 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85028-4099 God bless you.