Affliction, Poverty and Joy

My Bible reading yesterday morning included 2 Corinthians chapter 8.  I know I've read this before, but the first five verses really grabbed my attention:

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. 

"In a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty..."  There's just something unusual about reading about someone with great affliction and deep poverty having an abundance of joy.  It reminded me of playing "which one doesn't belong" with numbers, colors and shapes.  Affliction, poverty and joy.  Which one doesn't belong?

I looked at a number of translations.  I really liked these: 

Brothers and sisters, we want you to know how God showed his kindness to the churches in the province of Macedonia. While they were being severely tested by suffering, their overflowing joy, along with their extreme poverty, has made them even more generous I assure you that by their own free will they have given all they could, even more than they could afford. They made an appeal to us, begging us to let them participate in the ministry of God’s kindness to his holy people in Jerusalem. They did more than we had expected. First, they gave themselves to the Lord and to us, since this was God’s will. (God's Word)

Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.  This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard.  (The Message)

How did these precious saints have an abundance of joy?  They were greatly afflicted and extremely poor, but they had joy.  Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible says:

Their joy arising from the hopes and promises of the gospel. Notwithstanding their persecutions, their joy has abounded, and the effect of their joy has been seen in the liberal contribution which they have made. Their joy could not be repressed by their persecution, and they cheerfully contributed largely to the aid of others.
If a people have the joys of the gospel; if they have the consolations of religion themselves, they will somehow or other find means to contribute to the welfare of others. They will be willing to labor with reference to it, or they will find something which they can sacrifice or spare. Even their deep poverty will abound in the fruits of benevolence.

Last year I wrote "The Superpower for All of Us."  Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians chapter 5.  Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible describes joy as, "The exultation that arises from a sense of God’s mercy communicated to the soul in the pardon of its iniquities, and the prospect of that eternal glory of which it has the foretaste in the pardon of sin."  Nothing in that description talks about our current circumstances.  There is no mention of finances or trouble.  No matter the situation, joy can be had.  Not because of what we have, but because of Who we belong to and the mercy He has given us.

Lessons from Pollyanna

A recent email from one of the authors I follow told about a new book. "Lessons from Pollyanna - Using her Glad Game to Grow Spiritually and have More Joy in Your Life!"  The Kindle version of  "Lessons from Pollyanna" is currently free on Amazon.  Get your copy here.  Part of the description from Amazon says:

A beloved classic of children's literature, Pollyanna, the best-selling 1913 story by Eleanor H. Porter, shows how orphaned child Pollyanna Whittier transforms an entire town for the better with her “glad game” — optimism, faith, and determination to look for the good in everything.

Yet the story is also so much more than that! If all you know of Pollyanna is the Disney film version or reading the book as a child, you may find reading it as an adult surprising. Pollyanna has so much to teach us about living a meaningful Christ-like life, growing spiritually, and experiencing deeper joy, the joy God created us to hold fast to and cherish.

I had never read Pollyanna or seen any film version.  A quick Google search of Pollyanna brings up a slightly less cheery definition:

an excessively cheerful or optimistic person."what I am saying makes me sound like some aging Pollyanna who just wants to pretend that all is sweetness and light"

a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything 

The Pollyanna principle (also called Pollyannaism or positivity bias) is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones. Research indicates that at the subconscious level, the mind tends to focus on the optimistic; while at the conscious level, it tends to focus on the negative.

unreasonably or illogically optimistic

Not such a positive view, is it?  I finally found this:

The author's theme is to be grateful, not grouchy. I believe this is the author's theme because Pollyanna is trying to make the town grateful, and in the end it really works! 
   

Who was Pollyanna?

The title character is Pollyanna Whittier, an eleven-year-old orphan who goes to live in the fictional town of Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern and cold spinster Aunt Polly, who does not want to take in Pollyanna but feels it is her duty to her late sister. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game," an optimistic and positive attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation, no matter how bleak it may be. It originated in an incident one Christmas when Pollyanna, who was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, found only a pair of crutches inside. Making the game up on the spot, Pollyanna's father taught her to look at the good side of things—in this case, to be glad about the crutches because she did not need to use them. (Wikipedia)

As I mentioned, I had never read the book.  Lessons from Pollyanna contains the book plus a Bible based devotional for each chapter.  I chose to just read the book the first time through and now plan to read it again and read the devotionals.

Was Pollyanna "someone who just wants to pretend that all is sweetness and light?"
As soon as I started reading the story, I knew using Pollyanna as an insult did not fit the story.  First of all, Pollyanna was an orphan.  Her mother died when she was very small and her father died when she was 11.  She did not pretend that losing her parents didn't hurt.  Every time she played the "Glad Game" she made a choice.  It was a choice to find something good, even when she was hurting.

I feel that many have chosen to misunderstand Pollyanna and people like her.  They read about someone who is happy most of the time and are either jealous or angry because they haven't learned to play the "Glad Game."   In September 2011 I wrote the post, "Written in Stone or Sand."  I wrote at length why my blog isn't a place of negativity.  I CHOOSE what I post and my CHOICE is to post the good, uplifting, and encouraging.  I wrote:

This blog is my stone. When someone hurts me, I won't be writing it here. My hope is not to make others unhappy with their own lives, but to be an encouragement. If you know me, you know I've buried my dear brother and my godly mother. My life is not, nor has ever been, perfect. I want to learn from hurts and mistakes, but not dwell on them.

As God's children, we can do more than play the "Glad Game."  We can live the "Glad Game."  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  It doesn't say that all things are good, but they work together for good.  The chapter goes on to say in verses 35-39:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are more than conquerors through Him.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.  COVID-19 can't separate us from His love.   Social distance and isolation can't keep us from Him.

This week is known around the world as "Holy Week."  The greatest event in the history of mankind occurred.  Jesus willingly gave up His life.  He was buried, but He rose again!  Call me Pollyanna if you want to, I've got a lot to be glad about!

Two Truths

During the month of January our church was in revival for three weeks.  Our evangelist, Bro. Bone, spoke about the demoniac of the Gadarenes found in Mark chapter 5 and Luke chapter 8.  This is a familiar story, but it also reminded me of a fictionalized account I read about six years ago.  I blogged about it here.

Since it had been so long, I decided to re-read the book and I'm so glad I did.  The book description says this: 

If there is a way into madness, logic says there is a way out. Logic says.

Tallis, a philosopher's servant, is sent to a Greek academy in Palestine only to discover that it has silently, ominously disappeared. No one will tell him what happened, but he learns what has become of four of its scholars. One was murdered. One committed suicide. One worships in the temple of Dionysus. And one is a madman.

There was a conversation about halfway into the book between Tallis and a slave named Samir.  They were talking about choices and fate.  Samir said this:

My tribe teaches this, that there are two truths.
The first truth:  You can choose.
The second truth:  You cannot choose for another.

I think the second truth is harder to take than the first.  We see people bound in sin and want to help them find deliverance.  But they have to choose.  We see people turn their backs on what is right and good and we want to bring them back, we can't choose for them.

I'm thankful for that first truth.  While I can't choose for another, I can choose to live a life that is pleasing to my Maker.  I can choose holiness, integrity, redemption, joy, grace and mercy. 

What happens around us is largely outside our control, 
but how we choose to react to it is inside our control. 
We can throw our hands up in defeat 
or we can choose to trust God for His solution.
- Mom's Bible