Epitome: Gladness II

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Gladness II

In the Bible, there are 53 references to 'gladness' or being glad. It is defined as:

"1. Having a cheerful or happy disposition by nature; 2. experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight : made happy ; made pleased, satisfied, or grateful —often used with of : very willing : 3. marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness and joy : causing happiness and joy : 4. full of brightness and cheerfulness." (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glad)

Gladness is the noun. It's the 'name' for the state of being glad. The etymology of the word is 'shining' and 'smooth.' Therefore the word has a pureness about it, like the pureness of driven snow. It reminds me of what it must have been like in the early 1st Century church when it's said they "ate together with glad and sincere hearts." (Acts 2:46)

The Old Testament wisdom teacher Qoheleth taught, "I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad." (Ecclesiastes 8:15) There's a simple gladness. I think we often don't truly appreciate the simple pleasures of food like we could, yet when we're invited to lunch or a dinner, there is a real sense of looking forward to it for most of us.

Gladness is a simple emotion, as is joy. We can either make glad or be made glad, but there is a more fundamental gladness of disposition. And it is this sense of intrinsic joy, the one characterised by those in the early church, that I think Paul referred to when he urged followers of the Way to, "Do everything without complaining and arguing... become blameless and pure... shine like stars." (Philippians 2:14-15) There's probably no other corpus so littered with joy as this.

Joy and gladness are, they just are. We've all seen people who just ARE joyful and glad. They always have a smile on their faces, and it's not just painted on... it's there for real. It's their simple modus operandi. Some may say, 'are they being real.' Is it not possible to be real and glad at the same time? Enter gratitude, thankfulness.

Being glad, not complaining and arguing, and able to enjoy simple pleasures for what they are... not trying too hard. I know when I've tried to hard I've often missed the target of gladness and joy more than ever. This is the real secret of God's grace; we allow his moment-by-moment love (which never condemns) enter our consciousness and we can know the help of the Spirit that causes gladness of disposition; joy... which drives peace and a host of other virtues.

This sort of disposition is not easily swayed. It is penetrative. It is power for good and everyone in that circle shares in gladness; some are 'made glad' on account of us; they go onto make others glad and so on. On the surface, stopping arguing and complaining seems impossible, but with gladness the Spirit of God laughs in contempt at that thought. Is it possible? Of course it is!