It's hard to imagine, not to add to the unbearable amounts of self-hate the average American Christian is told to feel, but it's hard to imagine a life not spent trying to pursue pleasure. Don't we all? We spend our lives chasing after, perhaps happiness isn't good enough of a word, satisfaction or success would do better because they both imply a depth and lasting pleasure that each human soul desires. It's not just the next hit of heroine we're looking forward to, or at least we shouldn't nor would we find lasting joy in it; no, it's in love, passion and the difference-making we manage to fit into the dull fibers of daily life, the ever-grinding gears of society. I would like to live a life marked and remembered by the immense love I gave freely to my fellow man. But that takes work. It's always a striving for perfection, isn't it?
So when we crash and crumple along the path to the good life, we become disconcerted, disappointed. Desiring to disappear. God seemingly turns His face from our lives. We no longer seek happiness; we only desire that the pain would cease. If you're lost, alone, cold, tired, you share that with the rest of the world. We all struggle to find a place in the world. So when we stumble, we must gather ourselves back up again and keep on moving forward. It helps to have true friends, friends with deep roots. (Ecclesiastes 4:10) And when we stumble, we must work to change ourselves (2 Corinthians 7:10) so that we may prevent or in the least be better able to cure our crooked and unbalanced walking. Luckily, for those who believe, the Lord works everything to the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
And oddly enough, we must embrace sorrow. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. (Ecclesiastes 7:3) We walk; we fall; we learn from our failures; we gather ourselves up; we keep on walking. The lesson of life isn't to become bitter, to hate, to mistrust, to become "older". The lesson of life is to love, and love to the full. We become stronger by our trials, trials by fire burn away every impurity. If you truly believe God loves you, He will be your lampstand in the darkness. He walks with us every step that we take down our crazy and confusing path to the good life. Believe in that, and even sorrow cannot shake you.
