“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”
~
I really love today’s quote. There is so much substance to it. “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” Imagine that, if you will. It is so true that happiness, by its very nature, is something that is made to share. If we have no one with whom we can identify and share our happiness, there is nothing really worth celebrating. How would we know that we were happy? We would have no reference to gauge our feelings. Our “happiness” would also be useless because not only would it be tasteless to us, it would also not serve as an invitation to others. It would not show them the pathway to happiness.
The same can easily be said about our faith. Faith, unshared, cannot really be called faith. It would have no taste because it would bear no fruit. Faith is a great gift from God and it is given to us not only to build ourselves up but to share with others. If we do not share that faith, it — and we — are useless beings.
From some of the very first Bible stories, we discover that God made us for one another. He made us relational beings. He did not make us ever to be alone, cut off from any other person. We understand that in our own hearts and we have heard stories of what happens when someone is completely cut off from others. Studies have been done about offenders who had been placed in solitary confinement. Not only did being cut off from all others damage them psychologically; it damaged them permanently.
Even the religious who are cloistered or live in hermitages know that they cannot go completely without human contact. They will gather for community prayer or meals. While they may not speak, they have the presence of one another to lighten their burdens. In their prayer, they focus upon the needs of the world, taking into account those living around them and those living far away. Their intent is never to cut themselves off from the world. They know that they are citizens of the world just as much as they know they are being called to be citizens of Heaven.
We should never attempt to cut ourselves off from the world. Our faith — and the joy that resides in our faith — has been given to us to share. Therefore, let us share our joy and our faith with all with who we come in contact.
FAITH ACTION: Make a point to share the joy of your faith with at least one other person this day.