“Stand in the sunshine sweet
And treasure every ray,
Nor seek with stubborn feet
The darksome way.
“Have courage! Keep good cheer!
Our longest time is brief.
To those who hold you dear
Bring no more grief.
“But cherish blisses small,
Grateful for least delight
That to your lot doth fall,
However slight.
“And lo! All hearts will bring
Love, to make glad your days;
Blessings untold will spring
About your ways.’
Perhaps we do not think often enough of the responsibility of joy. When God makes us glad the gladness is not to end with ourselves — we are to pass it on. The Lord said two things to Abraham: “I will bless thee” and “Be thou a blessing.” The blessing was not merely for Abraham’s own sake nor was it to terminate in him. He was the custodian of this gift of God, that he in turn might give its benefits to others. It is told of Thoreau, that when he had cut wood and built a fire and warmed himself, he would call himself before the bar of conscience and require himself to answer the question, “What did you do while you were warm?” Not many of us think that being warmed by the fire which our own hands have built involves any responsibility, but Thoreau was right. The comfort he had received from the heat was not his to keep all to himself; it ought to make his life mean more to others, and he must give account for it.
So we may ask ourselves the question, after receiving any favour or blessing from god, “What did you do when you were blessed?” When we have experienced any pure, sweet joy, we need to put this question to ourselves, “what enrichment of life did you receive from your joy? What new, sweet song did you learn to sing when you were happy? What benedictions of cheer did you pass to others when your heart was glad?”
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