Tuesday: A Drunkenness That Makes You More Sober
WEEK 32
TUESDAY
A DRUNKENNESS THAT MAKES YOU MORE SOBER
Psalm 40:1-3
We saw yesterday that the disciples were drunk, but not as was suspected; they were intoxicated with a divine Joy. As the most joyous person I have ever seen, “Mary,” puts it, “This is a drunkenness that makes you walk straighter, that makes you dress neater, that makes you more refined, that makes you more sober.” And it may be added, “that makes you think straighter.” A crooked person can’t think straight, an unhappy person can’t feel straight, and a tangled-up person can’t walk a straight road. Peter said to a sorcerer, “Will you never stop twisting the straight ways of the Lord into crooked paths?” (Acts 13:10). A crooked person makes a crooked universe around him. A straight person makes a straight universe around her. That is the deep source of joy; life makes sense and adds up to intelligence and meaning and goal. Out of that fact Joy springs automatically. For no one can be happy in a meaningless universe. Only when the universe has a key, an unfolding plan, can one skip along life’s way with dancing feet and dancing heart.
A lineman of a telephone company, when asked why accidents took place, replied, “If we could get people inwardly cleared of conflicts and sins, we could practically abolish accidents in industry. The greatest problem in a lineman’s work is forgetfulness. And forgetfulness is caused by inner unhappiness and conflicts.” The fact is that inner unhappiness and conflicts are the chief cause of confusion in the world. We project our inner unhappiness upon our surroundings and disrupt them. If you won’t get along with God, you can’t get along with yourself; and if you can’t get along with yourself, you just can’t get along with anybody else. These people in the Acts were getting along with God, therefore with themselves, therefore with others. Life was set to music. “Mary” says: “I do wish I could share all the joy in my heart with her. She deserves it, and I have enough for ten people.” Enough for ten people; joy was bursting its seams and spilling over on everybody and everything.
O Joyous Jesus, let me open my heart to your Joy, for I walk in a sad world. Help me to spread love and joy about wherever I go, for I have enough and to spare. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: My strength is the strength of ten because my heart is pure, therefore happy.