In praise of people who feel joy

“Do you know, oh Christian you’re a sermon in shoes?” The song was jaunty, accompanied by piano and the illustrated oversize poster booklet with the lyrics for some lucky 5th grader to hold up front of the Junior Sabbath School class. The chorus went like this: “so walk it, and talk it, and live it, and give it, a sermon in shoes.” And what were we supposed to walk, talk, live, and give? Well … That had been answered in Primary Sabbath School.

The accordion would wheeze out the notes and we six-yearolds would scream delightedly, perhaps in tune: “I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart!” “Where?” The teacher would ask. We couldn’t wait to shriek back: “DOWN IN MY HEART!”

People who are busy feeling the joy in their hearts don’t feel compelled to make laws to force other people into behaving in certain prescribed ways. Joyful people walk and talk, live and give a warm, and bubbly vibe. Joy is an elixir which pairs well with loving-kindness. Epilogue: The next verse had us leaping in the air and practically falling on the floor as we clutched our tushies in mock agony. “And if the devil doesn’t like it, he can sit on a tack —yeeouch!”

— Kristi Ayars, Chico