Joy is Free
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt 6:24 NKJV)
I was driving down the road the other day listening to sweet
music coming out of my car radio. My heart felt peaceful, my mind was clear, and
my soul was full of love. Even with all its problems life seemed good. Then the
music stopped and the news came on. There was talk of another millionaire
celebrity in drug rehab after an incident with the police. There was news on the
murder of a poor man whose life was supposed to be changed after winning the
lottery. There was even a discussion on how much greed and excess had damaged
our world.
Every story seemed to point once again to the old adage that money can’t buy
happiness. Hearing them made me think of a documentary I saw many years ago on
Mother Teresa’s home for the dying in Calcutta. What struck me the most when I
watched it wasn’t the grinding poverty there. It wasn’t the sickness and
suffering that the people there were going through. It was rather the peaceful
smiles of love, kindness, and happiness that they shared with the Sisters and
with each other. These people had nothing. Many were on the verge of death. Yet,
they knew the simple truth that so many of us here are still learning: Joy is
Free.
The truth is God loves you and wants you to be happy right now. He wants His
light to brighten you, His peace to calm you, and His happiness to uplift you.
He wants you to fill your life with His love and then share it with the world.
He wants you to have joy and to spread joy everyday of your life here. Don’t
worship dollar signs and think that money will bring you happiness then. Joy
can’t be purchased. It can’t be owned. It can only be chosen and then given
freely to others. In the eyes of eternity money is only worthless paper. The
only thing that matters is the love within you and the love that you give to the
world. Make that your legacy and your life will forever be rich in joy.
Joseph J. Mazzella