Coming back from a visit to the US recently, gave me lots of things to think about. Mainly, I've been pondering the "lives we expect." We unintentionally feel entitled to a "typical life." In America, we expect life to go something like this … high school, college, grad school, excellent job, marriage, promotion, new car, new house, new dog, baby, … picket fence. In the mix of all that are vacations, technology, upgrades, new clothes, parties, etc.
We often seek pleasures of this world to induce "happiness" for a short time. Are we jumping "cravings" and masking the reality of life? When our expensive technology brakes, we expect to get it repaired. When we're unhappy about life, friends, circumstances, we expect God will change them and we pray He'll change our circumstances. We move from one event to another seeking happiness and comfort. When things go wrong, we think we've messed up or that God is punishing us, or we pray for the pain to stop. We're always seeking to "fix" something, repair something, pay for something, improve something.
What if God wants us to be in pain?
What if God wants us to sit in the uncomfortable?
Would that change our view of God?
Does this change our view of the Gospel?
I recently read an article on RELEVANTmagazine.com, "Will You Follow Jesus Even If Your Life Doesn't Get Any Better?" by Alastair Sterne, AUGUST 13, 2012. He added to my ponderings and reminded me that we're not promised many of the things we crave and seek. We're often trying to fix things that aren't meant to be fixed by our efforts.
Sterne writes, "[Sometimes our] gospel presentation misleads people to become more focused on their problems than on Jesus Himself. While they step into faith, they stay center stage. And unfortunately, when circumstances do head south, they are ill-equipped to deal with them. When something bad happens, all is lost. Many of us have had tear-filled conversations with friends who are questioning why God would let bad things happen to people, let alone to good people, and even more so to His people. When these questions go unanswered, many people leave faith behind because they are tired of waiting, or they do not trust God to actually show up. Instead they go off in search of their own, more immediate solution. They want comfort and happiness. They'd prefer the port. Ultimately, they are still the center of their lives, not God."
"Perhaps we need to stop and examine if we have set them up for this by portraying a circumstantial spirituality that stops short of the robust faith of the Bible. Jesus does make your life better. Jesus certainly is the ultimate problem-solver, and it is true that we will find our deepest purpose satisfied only in the life He offered on two crooked beams. But Jesus by no means promises a better life in the sense of all your circumstances. In other words, following Jesus doesn't mean that everything will go smoothly, that every aspiration of your heart will be achieved, and that all your loved ones will live to see 100. Yes, Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light but so is the gate wide that leads to destruction, and narrow the one that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14; 11:30.)"
"Somehow people get the notion that when God blesses, it means that He will give us great things and perfect circumstances—and right now. Or, if God's blessing is upon us we can expect to have better lives than those who do not believe in Jesus. Blessing equals easier and better. Conversely, sometimes people believe that extended discomfort means there is something they have done wrong, or a lack of faith which inhibits God's blessing. But what if this is a misconstrued concept of blessing? Can't the blessing of God involve pain, suffering, waiting and holding on to a truth in spite of our circumstances? Isn't it a blessing to be disciplined by our loving Father even if it causes discomfort?"
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/will-you-follow-jesus-even-if-your-life-doesnt-get-any-better
So, what are you trying to "fix" that really should be a lesson from God?
What are you trying to comfort that really should be an opportunity to sit in God's grace?
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