“There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go” by Frederick Faber.
How much people are ready to pay to find or get joy in life! That’s what we are doing when we go for various kinds of entertainment: movies, music concert, play different games, eat delicious meals and desserts, drink tasty drinks and do some other stuff to relax and enjoy ourselves. We need joy! It is natural for us to seek for it every day. Some even use illegal ways to get it: drugs, illicit sex, gambling and etc. However, all of the above mentioned ways give you joy only for a short period of time. You need something that would enable you to have joy ALL THE TIME.
What is that miraculous ‘something’ that allows you to find and have joy all the time? It is your attitude for searching joy everywhere you go. Frederick Faber talks about people who have the gift of doing that. I agree that some people have the gift from the birth, but what if you don’t have? Are you doomed to spend a lot of money every week and month to get short term joy? What if you don’t have money? Does that mean that you will not be able to have it at all and always be unhappy and sorrowful?
By no means! You can develop this gift all by yourself. Every one of us has a seed that could grow up into a fruit of joy. The seed is your attitude, willingness and desire to see the beautiful side of life. When you see it and concentrate on it every day, you will have joy daily. It does not mean that there is no evil side in life. There is, but you don’t concentrate on it, for by concentrating on it you are not solving anything, just making everything worse for yourself.
Again, understand me correctly, I do not mean to say that you have to be indifferent to other people pain. That would be very egoistic! You do sympathize with them and try to help them whenever you can, but you don’t allow yourself to be overpowered by grief, misery, skepticism and negativity. You look at this beautiful world and it arouses joy in your heart. It also does another thing.
When you have joy, you are able to share it with others. You cannot give something you do not have. Therefore, only those people who have joy daily are able to share it with others, who do not have it. Our world needs people who have the fruit of joy. When I look at people in my country I see how unhappy they are. Nobody is smiling even if things are not really bad. They are angry, dissatisfied and have no hope for the future. Who can give it to them? Those that have it. Let us be people who cherish joy in our hearts and share it with others.
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