Forum 1B-Leaping for Joy

"And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God" -Acts 3:8

Acts records the story of a man who had been lame since birth. Every day, he would beg for alms outside of the temple walls.

Let's stop and consider his situation for a moment. We'll start with the obvious: he's lame. That must have been difficult. Growing up, he wouldn't have been able to play like other children and as an adult, he was not able to provide for himself. Instead, he must rely on the generosity of others just to be able to eat. That must sting his pride. In addition, according to Jewish tradition, physical infirmities were the result of sin, either of the person or their parents. So many, if not the majority, of the people passing by would have judged him harshly, assuming that sin was the root of his problems. The man was sitting outside of the temple. We don't know for sure, but it is possible that he would not have been allowed inside. As such, he would have been even more of an outcast, unable to perform the basic duties required of every adherent Jewish man.

And yet, after he was miraculously healed by Peter and John, his reaction was not a sense of entitlement or "it's about time" or any thing even close. His reaction was to leap about (I imagine in great joy) praising God. While I imagine that the man took the time to thank the apostles, the man recognized the true source of his healing and thanked God immediately. For the first time in his entire life, this man was able to walk, and run, and jump and I can only imagine the gratitude that he felt to be healed.

We all know that we should be grateful. Studies have shown that it benefits you, we all get taught to show thanks as part of being polite, and we know how good it feels when someone show gratitude towards us. What I learned from this story is not simply to be grateful, but to be joyous and not to dwell on the trials that came before the blessings. God doesn't just want us to be happy, he wants us to have joy. Sometimes that means that we have to endure hard times in order to reach our blessings but they come nevertheless. So when the challenges are lifted, be happy, but also let yourself be filled with joy. Sure, trials will come again, but let's not forget to be joyous in the meantime.