By Shirley Rosemarie Evans
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! (Psalm 100:2)
Our journey into delighting in the Lord continues, and our focus is “gladness.”
The definition of gladness is a feeling of joy, happiness and cheerfulness. This is the natural disposition of the believer, or at least the believer who is delighted with Jesus.
You may have seen that old movie or read the book “Pollyanna”. It was the story of an orphaned girl about 9 years old who moved in with her aunt in a small town. She fell out of a tree and was bedridden. Despite her afflictions, she managed to infect the townspeople with her “gladness” One by one, she changed their complaining by instructing them to find something to be glad about. Her influence was so profound that they changed the town's name to “Glad Town.”
As believers, as we delight ourselves in Christ, so our gladness should be infectious so that just like Pollyanna, we can effect change and transform any environment in which we are planted. The believer’s gladness is the outworking and the expression of the joy that we have. The scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Gladness, then, is seen in our thankfulness, cheerfulness and resilience in life’s challenges.
That does not mean that everything we go through is good or that life is always wonderful, but if, like Pollyanna, we cultivate a heart that celebrates the half-full glass and counts our blessings, giving thanks in all things, then even in the middle of our distress, we can still have a personality that is filled with praise and thanksgiving.
As I write this, I remember a friend who had lost her 18-year-old son to street violence. Another friend and I went to see her to show support and all the things we do at times like this. My friend and I were anxious about going, as we really could not imagine what we could say that could possibly make this situation any better. Well, when we got there, instead of the inconsolable woman we expected to encounter, we were met by a woman expressing so much thanksgiving to God for the son she had for eighteen years, for the blessing he had been for others and even for him losing his life in standing up for others, etc. She was so not what we expected, but we left her home encouraged, feeling that we had encountered the power of God at work, so that even in the most difficult of situations, we felt gladness in her presence.
This example may seem extreme, and please God that many of us will not have to experience anything so profound, but let us make each day a day of gladness as we learn to appreciate the little things.
Today’s key verse instructs us to serve the Lord with gladness, and as we meditate on God’s nature – His agape love, the ultimate expression seen in sending His only son to the cross to die in our place so that we might be saved, we are glad.
As we bask in our God’s goodness seen all around us – in the beauty of the sunset, in the colours of the trees in the fall, the majesty of the mountains, it fills us with gladness.
As we consider His mercies which are new every day – we woke to a new day, and despite our failings He does not consume us but forgives, sustains and keeps us, yes, we ought to be glad.
Our gladness is seen in our worship songs filled with praise to our creator. It is seen in our interactions with those who are kind to us and those who are not; we love them, and we do good to them.
Our gladness is evident as we share the good news of the gospel, carrying light and hope wherever we go and drawing others to Jesus.
Gladness is the true disposition of the believer, cultivated and worked out as we build our lives in Jesus, keeping our eyes on Him and remembering His nature, His mighty acts, and His abundant mercy.
Dear God, our God, we want to be glad people, the kind of people that can change a home, change a church, change a community as our gladness reflects the heart of the Father and is infectious. Help us to serve you with gladness in every area of our lives. It’s in your name we pray and say thank you. Amen
