I recently wrote an entry on Virtue and Reward where I disagreed with the old notion that "Virtue is its own reward" and suggested that it's okay to be happy about doing good. I need to amend that.
I don't think it's okay to be happy about doing good. I think it's mandatory. I think, in fact, that it completes the good. Think about it. If you do good because it's duty without any enjoyment, who is glorified? Certainly not God. God, if you recall, "loves a cheerful giver." Jesus told us to keep His commandments "that your joy may be full" (John 15:10-11). He promised to answer our prayers "that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). Compare that with what Jesus said earlier about prayer: "Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). It appears, then, that obedience is good, but joy in obedience is not only better, it's the intent. In fact, do you know why Jesus endured the cross? It wasn't mere duty. "... Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2). Jesus died for us because it would bring Him joy.
Consider it from another direction. We are told over and over to rejoice, to have joy -- over and over. We, being much wiser than that, understand that virtue is its own reward and understand that doing things because we enjoy them (reward) and not doing things because we would not enjoy them (punishment) are poor excuses for genuine good. Much smarter are we. Except that in our "wisdom" we ignore the multiple commands for joy, the hope of joy, the promise of rewards and so on. In other words, we're telling God, "Your idea is a good one, perhaps, but we know better." Or consider this. Is genuine worship when we have no accompanying emotion, or is it the outpouring of the expected emotion that completes worship?
We are accused of doing things for reward and avoiding things to avoid punishment. I have to ask, "So?" Why is it better to do things out of duty rather than out of the joy that God promises? I believe that our emotional response completes what's right, not detracts from it. Don't buy that lie. (Don't believe me? Try this sometime. Tell your spouse, "I love you, dear ... because it's my duty. I don't enjoy it at all." Yeah, that'll tell him or her how good you are, eh?)
2 comments:
Actually, I HAVE told her that. Not totally. I never said it brought no joy. My point was the difference between loving through compulsion and loving through choice. If the first is true, the "love" will diminish with any desire connected to looks, ability, distraction, etc. I chose to love her when I chose to love ONLY her in marriage no matter how life proceeds from that point. I will continue to do so because of that vow and duty, but fortunately, I want to as well.
As to the rest of your post, that is, the point of it, I think sometimes doing what does not bring joy because one ought can lead to finding joy in it later. For most of us, there are times when we just don't want to do the right thing, but having forced ourselves, we do indeed feel some joy. Yet, if all we are doing is the right thing when we've really screwed things up doing the wrong things over and over, that joy will not permeate our existence as it will if we ALWAYS seek to do the right thing. When doing the right things becomes more habitual, joy is more easily attained. We feel good more often, if not all the time. And we do suffer less as a result.
The beauty of that choice to love is that it creates naturally in the human the emotion we call "love".
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