A quick thought on Saturday. . .

I actually had a pretty lengthy entry going on and then my internet began acting up. But it's been a busy day today full of running errands. I still have some homework to do and I want to be able to watch a movie (I think Almost Famous) so I'm going to just quickly discuss what I wanted.

CS Lewis wrote the following quote in "The Weight of Glory,"

"Indeed, if we consider the staggering nature of the rewards promised us in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Weare like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.''

I was thinking of that quote during Bible Study today. A few of the guys were talking about how unhappy they were in their job situations. You could hear the desperation in their voices and, I'll tell you, I did feel for them. But at the same time I worried for them. Because you could just tell that there was something in their voices that said "if I could just get out of my current situation, things would be okay."

I'll admit I use that rationale myself. Sometimes with my job. Othertimes I just think if I could find someone, settle down, and get married, then life would be going good. Or if I had enough money then I'd be doing fine. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it is wrong-headed thinking.

We've grown up in a culture that has told us the goal of life is to avoid pain. So we'll do anything to avoid feeling broke, lonely, frustrated, or "bad." And we'll cling to momentary happiness (even when we know it's only fleeting) just so we don't have to deal with negatives. But I don't think that it's a Biblical view at all.

Paul knew that frustrations, loneliness, and brokenness were necessary. In 2 Corinthians 4:17 he wrote, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." He knew that the pain here was necessary because it's what God uses to burn away any desires not focusing on Him and make us cling only to Christ. . . where true joy is found.

The problem is, we're so used to just avoiding pain that we seek our satisfaction elsewhere. We'll be "happy" at work or in a particular relationship because we know that for awhile we'll avoid pain. We don't realize that sometimes unhappiness is necessary in these areas because they show us that it's in Christ alone that we can have our true joy and satisfaction. We're content with a drink from a rusty fountain when we can't hear the roar of the river around the corner. And that's sad. John Piper said (and yeah, this is the 2nd or 3rd time I've put it in this site), "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Oh that we would all live that out day after day!

C-Dubbs