I'm currently at grad school taking a class in human and faith development. Today, we watched "The Bucket List", a movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. In the movie, both men are older and are told they have terminal cancer with a certain amount of time left to live. They develop a "bucket list" of things they want to do before they die - skydive, see something majestic, laugh until they cry, the list goes on. So, they take off together to try to fulfill all the things on this list. Jack's character is very wealthy so he is easily able to finance the trip. As they are sitting at the top of one of Egypt's great Pyramids, Morgan's character tells Jack's character that the Egyptians believed that when you go to heaven, before you are allowed entrance, you are asked two questions. Your answers to those questions determine whether you enter or are turned away. The questions:
1. Have you experienced joy in your life?
2. Have you given joy to others in your life?
These two questions struck me - and still do as I write this. They are actually not a bad way to think about living your life. Everyone needs joy. Maybe not all the time, maybe not even every day, but I believe everyone needs to experience joy at some point in their life. As my professor noted, it's not the same as being happy. Joy is deeper, more grounded, more fulfilling. And, as a Christian, God tells us to share the gifts we have been given. Joy is a gift, and it is a gift well worth sharing. So - for myself, I'm going to be thinking about these two questions more as I go through life. "Is this something that could give someone joy, or is this something that could give someone pain?" If it could give someone pain, is it really worth doing? Maybe it is. Doctors often have to hurt patients while they heal them, especially those with cancer. But, if I have a choice between joy and pain, I will definitely try as best I can to choose and practice joy.
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