Just a Thought

            Right now I am sick. This morning I woke up with a horribly scratchy throat, a voice that sounds like a bass guitar, a Niagara Falls nose (don’t spend too much time thinking about that), and a cough to wake the dead. It’s not very much fun. I wasn’t meant to live life like this. 

            But as I’ve gone on with my day… I’ve gotten used to it. It’s not abnormal anymore, and I don’t think twice before unwrapping a Hall’s or grabbing a tissue. It’s just me and my life.

            I know in the back of my mind what my body is going though is not normal. I shouldn’t be like this. But what I know in my mind doesn’t change the reality that I am sick and have to adjust accordingly.

            I look at the world and realize it’s the same way. Our world is sick. The symptoms are hunger, crime, disease, death, and pain in general. But we’ve gotten used to it, really. A hundred people slaughtered? We yawn. 50 people dead of a disease outbreak? We ask, “Is that it?”

            You get the point. 

            It’s so important for us to be able to look at our world and realize THIS IS NOT HOW THINGS SHOULD BE. Our world did not start like this, and this sickness will pass one day. The horrific things we witness are symptoms of an underlying cause: a cursed world.

            One day Jesus will come back and reign. Our world will become new again, and so will the people in it. 

            In the day to day grind, it’s hard to maintain perspective. Being able to step outside of it all and hold on to truths like this is very important. If I didn’t know there was hope for this world, I would literally go insane because everyone is suffering for no reason.

            But we are not. There will come a day when everything is going to change. 

He Got This

            “Be ye perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, KJV).

             Ladies and gentlemen, that is the standard Jesus gives us. God is perfect, therefore we are to be perfect. Let’s do this thing! That’s great and all, but then you look in the mirror and you’re like, “Yeah, uh, not happening.”

             Why would God hold us to something that is impossible? I’m not perfect, and I’ve yet to meet someone who is.

             It’s just not fair. And I think that’s the point. You think you are “good enough” to get into Heaven? Well, are you perfect? That’s what it takes.

             Jesus was living in the times of the Pharisees; the ultimate legalists who created rules on tops of rules so that they could “make it”. The religions of today, from Islam to Buddhism, are no different.

             The Creator of the Universe raises His hand to His shoulders and says, “You have to reach here to make it.” We don’t have a shot.

             That’s where Jesus steps in. He tells us, “Get on my back and I’ll make it for you. I’ll be the perfection you need.”

             So from one imperfect person to another, I can tell you to stop trying. You aren’t going to make “it”, because “it” is so high you can’t even begin to imagine. Just relax and trust that Jesus got this.

End It All

            Just look around. So much pain. So much thoughtless destruction. So much hunger. People are lost and everyone has an answer… and no one has an answer.

            Why is there pain? Where’s the joy? Where’s the hope? Why are we alive?

The Sunday School Answer

            The church answers are the following: pain and suffering is the result of sin, and we are alive to glorify God by serving Him. But I’m not going to lie… those answers sometimes seem hollow.

             Tell the parents of the many Christian children murdered recently at the hands of ISIS that their children’s fate was the result of sin. Tell the child whose family has been taken away from her that she exists to love the God that allowed it to happen.

             You have to forgive them if they don’t take comfort in those answers.

What Is the Answer?

             What is the answer to the hopelessness that sometimes is life? I tried an experiment. I tried to take myself out of it all (my Christian biases, etc.). I set myself up outside everything and looked in. Is there another answer besides the Sunday school one?

             I thought about pleasure. The people who live for the moment seem to enjoy themselves the most, right? They have the good times and the fun friends and they couldn’t care less about life. Maybe that’s the way to go?

             But it can’t be. I look at the people who define that lifestyle, the celebrities, and they aren’t happy. They have the money and the sex and the fame, yet they are even emptier than everyone else. Their words and actions echo that they, too, still are looking for an answer. That means that pleasure-seeking isn’t it.

            I thought about work. Maybe we are alive to produce things. Our worth and life’s value is tied to what we make.

            But then that means that the mentally ill and the physically deformed aren’t equal to everyone else because they can’t produce like “normal” people can. That also means that the very old and very young are inferior to everyone else. And, on top of that, the people who embody this belief also aren’t happy. They spend all their days at the office, only to find their life has gone by and they haven’t enjoyed a moment of it.

            I thought about helping others. Maybe that’s it! We are alive to help others. This hits close to home for me, because I sense that this is my calling in life.

             But in the end, this fails if left by itself. It doesn’t last, because what are you helping them towards? You are helping them to go above and beyond… what? What are you pointing them towards? If you point them to helping others, then they point others to helping others… this is a continuous cycle with no fulfilling ending. No one is helping anyone out to anything final and eternal.

This Leaves… the Sunday School Answer

            Let’s revisit the SS answer: pain is the result of sin, and we are on earth to serve God. Why does that just feel so empty?
            It hit me. The reason why is because I don’t hear what should, but rarely does, come next.

            We are living to serve God, yes, but what has He promised us? An eternity of joy. An eternity of Himself, one of pure purpose and fulfillment. We serve God so that one day there will be no more pain and suffering. No more hunger and hatred. We serve God so that one day we can have pure relationships where there is no disappointment. No letdowns.

             Without eternity, there is no purpose to life.

             If you look to this world for answers (obedience to God, pleasure, work, helping others), you will be left feeling empty. It’s only when God Himself is the goal that you will find happiness. You serve Him, yes, but you serve Him so you can perfect your relationship with Him. Obedience isn’t the goal, an eternity with God is.

Reality Check

            Christians, especially American Christians, often have an interesting view of what it means to be a follower Jesus.  They read the Proverbs, and then they read the glorious promises found in the historical books of the Old Testament. They read about how God promised wealth and physical success to Israel, if they would just return to Him.

            They start to get a little excited.

            Then they turn on the television to watch the popular preachers of our day.  The prosperity prophets proclaim a future of happiness and monetary abundance. All you need to do is believe in Jesus and give them some money, they say. The blessings will reign down! There will be no pain in your life. You will never go broke. Your life will be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

            Then these Christians go nuts.

Next Stop, Reality!

            But let’s take things back to the real, actual Jesus. No, I’m not talking about that genie-in-a-bottle Jesus. I’m not talking about that winning-lottery-ticket Jesus. I’m talking about that real Jesus. Let’s hear what He says about what will happen when you give your life to Him:

            “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

            Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,

            And you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.

            When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

            For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

            Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

            And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

            When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.” (Matthew 10:16-23)

            Flogging? Fleeing? Hatred? Death? Oh my. But wait, it gets better. The following is what happened to one of the godliest men to have ever lived, Paul. Let’s hear about the easy, prosperous life he had once he accepted Christ:

            “Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

            From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

            Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

            In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

            In weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, ESV)

            My friends, the prosperity preachers are liars. When you become a Christian and live your faith, you will be hated, vilified, humiliated, and more. The extent of this depends on each person’s individual circumstance, but you get my point.

            God doesn’t promise us a physically prosperous life. He did to the Israelites, but that was when His Kingdom was a physical nation. His Kingdom plan is in a different stage now. It used to be about self-preservation (Israel), now it is about evangelism and growth (Christianity). 

            And God tells us there will be growing pains.

On That Note…

            Now that I’ve thoroughly encouraged you and lifted your spirit, let me end on a high note. What’s at the end of this? Why give your life for Christ? Is it worth it? My friends, it is.

            Whenever you are feeling down, read Revelation chapters 21-22. I won’t copy and paste it here (because that would be a little long). But I can tell you a little bit about what Heaven will be like.

            There will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more human-trafficking, no more rape, no more sickness, no more divorce, no more murder, no more crying, no more tears. Just infinite, eternal joy.

            There will be a city the size of America-ish (don’t believe me? Read Revelation 21:16). It will have beautiful diamonds all around it.

            We will see the saints throughout history. We will see friends and family. We will have eternity to get to know each other.

            But above all, we will get to know God better. The Creator of the universe, the omniscient, omnipotent One. The infinite, eternal Jehovah. Our loving, caring Maker. He will be there for us. He will never leave us.

Which Brings Us Back to Now

            This life will be painful sometimes. God has warned us about that. Friends will abandon us; family and friends will die. We’ll get sick and hurt. Injustice and cruelty will run rampant at times.

            But keep your chin up. Eternal joy awaits us. What’s a few moments of this life compared to that?