True Joy…
January 27th, 2008
I’ve heard Allen share this story many times in his “Growing Through Mistreatment” message, but I wanted to write it down here nonetheless, so that I can remember it better when I steal it for my own messages.
The story goes like this:
St. Francis of Assisi is walking down the road with a fellow monk when he asks, “Father Leo, would you like to know what true joy is?”
“I’m in,” I imagine Father Leo saying excitedly.
“Did you know that you could receive all the revelation and knowledge there is to receive, and you would not have true joy?” St. Francis asked.
“No,” Father Leo responded, “then what is true joy?”
“Did you know that you could have the greatest evangelism gift on the earth, with the ability to lead thousands of men to God, and you would still not know true joy?”
“No,” Father Leo responded again. “Tell me then, what is true joy?”
“Or that you could have the most incredible gift of prophecy, with the ability to hear mysteries that no one else can hear, and you would still not know true joy?”
This continued for quite some time, as St. Francis explored all of the options and possibilities, leaving Father Leo exasperated and longing to know the definition of true joy. Thus St. Francis shared this example:
“Imagine then, Father Leo, that we arrive at the monastery and the men refuse to let us in. In fact, they mistake us for thieves that have been troubling them and, after a long and fruitless attempt on our part to convince them otherwise, they angrily send us away. Thus, in the cold and rain we go to the entire village trying to find shelter for the night; yet none show us any kindness or give us a place to stay. So, desperate, we return to the monastery and try again. This time, the men there, in their frustration to drive us away for good, come out and beat us.
“Then there, lying on the ground, cold and wet, we find that there is no anger in our hearts towards those who have wronged us.
“That, Father Leo, would be true joy.”
David
Entry Filed under: bible, life in the spirit
10 Comments Add your own
1. Katieco | January 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
That’s awesome! I want joy like that, where God alone controls what we feel no matter what man does to us. Thanks for writting it down.
2. Tim Brownlee | January 27th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I steal this story often when I’m needing an example on meekness… it’s like almost as good as Bait of Satan by John Bevere
3. ChriS Ferguson | January 28th, 2008 at 6:49 am
I contemplate this story often…I want true joy but I dread the process through which one recieves it. You know what they say:”The trouble with “living sacrafices” is they so often crawl off the altar!” On the journey to true joy!
4. Washington | January 29th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Father Leo looks stunned at St. Francis of Assisi and then asks,
“Did they think we were Mormons or campaigning for Mitt Romney?”
5. Washington | January 29th, 2008 at 12:46 am
On a serious note, I have that preach by Allen Hood on mistreatment… it blew my mind to pieces when I heard it. In my home group and outlined to everyone when I was preaching one time that there are two things that are guaranteed to torpedo your relationship with God:
1) Bad relationships (particularly gf/bf)
2) Offense and unforgiveness
Interestingly some in the cell were stunned and wanted to know more… so I put on the table 1 Corinthians 5 and Romans 14 for the first topic and Matthew 5 for the second topic. I just wanted to get everybody to watch Allen’s preach on mistreatment or hear it, it’s like spiritual antibiotics!
6. Jessica | January 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Nowhere have I seen this joy illustrated better than here in China. Two weeks ago we had the privilege of spending several days at a training center for young people who truly know what it means to be living sacrifices. This training center is little more than a concrete building. The students sleep on the floors and rise at 5:30 in the morning to pray for two hours. It was below freezing when we were there. There was no heat. The students were full of joy, always singing, always serving us.
The man who runs this training center tells his students to expect to be arrested. As he shared his testimony with us he laughed as he talked of his time in prison and his beatings. One thing he said that I will not forget: “If you don’t develop a heart for suffering, you can’t serve Jesus.”
Humbling doesn’t begin to describe what I felt. I had to completely re-evaluate some things. We often pity our brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution, but they have far more joy than I have seen in my brothers and sisters in America. Why?? Because in America we don’t say with Paul, “I want to know Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Instead we say, “Keep me safe and comfortable Lord.”
7. Washington | January 30th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Wow… great post Jessica.
8. True Joy « Matthew &hellip | February 4th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
[…] http://www.heisatthedoor.com/wordcast/?p=206 …imagine then, Father Leo, that we arrive at the monastery and the men refuse to let us in. In fact, they mistake us for thieves that have been troubling them and, after a long and fruitless attempt on our part to convince them otherwise, they angrily send us away. Thus, in the cold and rain we go to the entire village trying to find shelter for the night; yet none show us any kindness or give us a place to stay. So, desperate, we return to the monastery and try again. This time, the men there, in their frustration to drive us away for good, come out and beat us. […]
9. (LINK) True Joy at Matthe&hellip | April 30th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
[…] http://www.heisatthedoor.com/wordcast/?p=206 …imagine then, Father Leo, that we arrive at the monastery and the men refuse to let us in. In fact, they mistake us for thieves that have been troubling them and, after a long and fruitless attempt on our part to convince them otherwise, they angrily send us away. Thus, in the cold and rain we go to the entire village trying to find shelter for the night; yet none show us any kindness or give us a place to stay. So, desperate, we return to the monastery and try again. This time, the men there, in their frustration to drive us away for good, come out and beat us. […]
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