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What truly makes us happy? There are all kinds of studies of happiness and there are many new books about happiness. What does it mean to be happy? Are you happy?

In the book, Black Girl, White Girl, Joyce Carol Oates comments, “Between happiness and duty, I choose duty.” [p. 268] I choose duty. Does that mean that you can’t be happy? Is it one or the other?

Frankly, I think of duty as obligation, as doing what is right. Fulfilling expectations and responsibilities. Duty is something that we do for others, typically, not ourselves. Duty is holding up our end of a relationship.

In Christianity we teach that our highest good is found in service. We celebrate our call to serve others, to live compassion and generosity. The life of Jesus is a study in helping others, living for others, and serving others. That is our calling.

When we think about happiness and duty, I am wondering if we can be happy if we are not fulfilling our duty? When I am neglecting my duty, am I happy? Or am I haunted by regret? I think as Christians we must fulfill our duty to be happy. It is not either/or. It is if/then. If we are fulfilling our duty then we will be happy. Thus we will also fulfill our duty to be happy in Christ Jesus. So, choose happiness. Fulfill your duty.

Prayer: We pray that we would fulfill our duty as Christians; our duty to serve, to give, to love, to forgive. When we pursue this other-centered living, we find our highest good. We experience happiness. May we allow our faith to make us truly happy. Amen.

In the last devotion, we discussed being judgmental; the burden of judging and its adverse effects. This quote continues that theme:

“I tell you one thing – if you want peace of mind do not find fault with others. Rather learn to see your own faults.”
Sri Sarada Devi, The Holy Mother of the Ramakrishna Order, Hindu

I’ll come clean here. I think I am much more adept at assessing the shortcomings of others than my own. I am sure that my family members would agree! It is easier to see what others are doing wrong, or could be doing differently (subtext, “better”), or how they could improve. As long as my assessments are of others, that is energy and reflection that I am not directing toward myself. And can I change others? No. But I can actually take responsibility for growing and learning and changing myself.

So, when it comes to judging, applying our efforts toward ourselves has the potential to have a positive effect, helping us become more fully ourselves, more fully whole. But judging others can waste our time, bring out the worst in us, and damage our relationships. Our Christian tradition teaches us to let go of judging others and take responsibility for ourselves.

Prayer: As we journey through this Lenten season, we seek to know ourselves more fully. We seek to engage in spiritual reflection in ways that will nurture our souls and help us grow in the spirit of Christ. May we be very careful about judging and the negative effects it can have. May we also have the courage to be fiercely honest with ourselves. Amen.

This month’s selection for the book club that I have been part of for over 20 years is Race-Baiter by Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times. I highly recommend the book. As I am reading the book, it is glaring that we live in a culture that expects us to judge other people. With the increase in news outlets and information sources due to technology and the internet, we are exposed to vast amounts of information. But we are also exposed to far more opinion than we ever have been. And what is opinion? It is a form of judgment. And all of this judging is creating more and more divisions among people.

We have to have a way to sort through all of the information that comes our way. That is important. So we have to decide about news sources and the credentials of “experts.” But all of this information involves more and more judging.

So I believe that in our culture, instead of getting more discerning, we are getting more judgmental. We jump to conclusions based on limited information. We decide about people before hearing their story. We categorize and stereotype.

In the 16th century spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, by an unknown writer, we hear about judging. We are reminded of its significance and severity:

“Let me ask you something. Who can judge another person’s actions? . . . Passing judgment on another is a profound responsibility that must never be taken lightly. . .We must never forget that judging another human being is a terrible burden.”

Lent is a time to reflect on our lives and reconnect with God. What would it be like if we did less judging? We might find our burden lighter; our load not as heavy. It may actually be a relief. And instead of playing God by judging, maybe we will find ourselves feeling more closely connected to God, upheld by divine love, and closer to other people as well.

Prayer: It’s easy to fall into the pattern of judging others and making assumptions about them. May we relieve ourselves of this burden. May we realize the weight that judgment has and the toll it takes on others as well as ourselves. May we leave the judging to God who invites us to be made whole through love. Amen.

I recently attended a funeral and the well-known scripture from John was read: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” [John 14:2] As I heard this, I thought about that phrase, ‘prepare a place for you.‘ To me this sounds like getting a guest room ready; getting ready for a visitor. I had visions of putting clean sheets on a bed, dusting, vacuuming, making sure there’s a reading light accessible from the bed and some empty hangers in the closet. I go to prepare a place for you. Hearing this, I imagined Jesus like a maid in a hotel. It was an uncharacteristic musing about Jesus to be sure.

As I pondered this, not only is it ridiculous, but it is also fitting. Jesus was a servant. He served others. He called his followers to serve others. So we should not be surprised at associating discipleship with service, even menial service. In the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, we are shown that there is no work too humble or too menial for Jesus. Nothing is “beneath” him. He is a humble servant.

As we think about Living Love in this season of Lent, we want to remember that to live love will likely involve serving others in ways that are basic and menial. We should not shirk from this. This is love in action. We are called to love God, ourselves, our neighbors, our enemies, and the earth. This may even mean getting our hands dirty! Oh, and remember, we are told of Jesus squatting down and writing in the dirt!

Prayer: We find our highest good by loving. May we never be afraid to love, even when it gets hard and messy. Nothing was beneath Jesus. He chose humility and service. May we do the same. Amen.