Life Hurts

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  –Isaiah 41:10

                Life hurts.  We are constantly misunderstood. We are not loved the way we want to be loved. Our health deserts us. We fail as parents. We fail as children. Family members and dear friends die. Our jobs do not give us the meaning, money or prestige we were hoping for. We may achieve our goals, but we still feel empty. Overall, life seems disappointing at best, hopeless at worst. It may sound strange for me, as a Christian, to say this.  But I have come to believe that, as a Christian, it is an important truth to state.

                This world is not heaven. This whole earth was “subjected to frustration” (Romans 8:20).  We want to be happy. We want our family and friends to be happy. We view happiness as the ultimate goal. There is a good reason for this.  God created us to live in a perfect world. We still retain the expectation of that perfect world in our DNA. But earth is not that perfect world. Sadly, our lessons here are best learned through suffering.   If the pursuit of earthly happiness is our focus, even “wholesome” happiness, we are missing the point. God is not as interested in our comfort and contentedness on this earth as we are. The painful realities of this world are meant to point us to the only one who can help us and give us hope. Our lives here are to be about acknowledging him as our Lord and Savior; surrendering our hopes, dreams, expectations, even our “rights” to him, and trusting that his hand is leading and guiding us through the pain and disappointment of whatever circumstances we face.

                One day there will be a new heaven and a new earth. One day “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”  One day “He will wipe every tear from [our} eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things [will have] passed away.” (Rev. 21:4). Until that day, know that God is with you and is holding you.