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Social Responsibility III - Joy ...

Thursday, Nov 19, 2009. Today I would like to share some non-standard thoughts about social responsibility.

We have the responsibility of joy. Let us approach the whole topic from a different perspective, from a non-standard perspective. Man is made for joy. The bible speaks about the joy of the Holy Spirit, for the joy in the presence of the Lord. We might have associations of angels in white robes dancing around a throne - influenced by brummagem images or kitsch stories. But the joy of the Lord is much more like a young couple in the fields, like friends in a boat on the river, like children playing in the backyard, like a sunny afternoon in the park, like a walk through the forest with my lover! …

We have the responsibility of joy - the joy we find in our work. The joy of focussing on some topic, to be there with our mind and our heart, and to find the fun and joy in what we do. Our job can be joy - if we change our view. It can be joy to deal with other people - even if they come and complain, even if we are the telephone hotline to deal with the requests. We can be full of consideration, tenderness, friendliness. We can calm down the emotions, by taking them serious. The joy of the Lord can be in the middle of what we do!

The Lord wants us to find joy. The joy of life will not be generated by money. It does not come from success. It is not influenced by the amount of power we exercise. It comes from him, it is in the little things of life, it is there everywhere in this creation. The world is a fantastic world. We could never generate its wonders. Things are amazing, the tree next to our subway station - a wonder much larger than anything mankind has ever invented. The birds in the sky - much more sophisticated than our most advanced space systems. Our own body, a wonder through and through. Reading texts, having ideas, imagination, creativity … it is our responsibility to find joy in all of these things. God wants joyful disciples, he wants us to become his children - us and all the others around us. He wants true joy in us and between us.

Yes, we have social responsibility - meaning that we should care for our world. But that includes our own mind and soul. It includes to find a lifestyle, which is full of joy, which is full of purpose. It does not mean to build our values completely on “helping others” - our value comes from the Lord! We cannot earn it, but we can be joyful in the love of God. Our purpose is joy. If we keep this in mind, it will change our view on responsibility as well. We will find joy, when we care, and when we find joy, we will care about the joy of others as well! [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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jn_en_2009_11_19.txt · Last modified: 2017/06/18 16:48 by 127.0.0.1