Is your goal as a Christian to seek the “good life?” Are you constantly seeking your own personal comfort? Or are your choices and actions based on a close, trusting relationship with God?
If you find you are constantly being disappointed by others or what life hands you, ask yourself what the focus of your life is. If it’s to constantly avoid every suffering you can, unhappiness will surely follow.
Christians who have made comfort their primary agenda – and we all do at times – need to think twice about their commitment to their faith and find time for fortifying their souls. If we remember who we belong to – Jesus – and the life He lived for our sakes, we might be able to manage our expectations and moods better and be more constant in spiritual growth.
We each try to control the amount of pleasure and suffering we experience based on our appetites and tolerances. And so we establish a sort of internal barometer based on a personal comfort index. This is not to say that we don’t include a fair amount of toil and discipline and put up with suffering in the name of God. But, often, it’s carefully measured and calculated to what suits us.
We parcel out what we give to the Lord and to each other. We hold on tightly to the purse strings of our generosity, if for no other reason than to assert our control and free will. In other words, we follow our own agenda, with a relative amount of “God” or religion thrown in to accommodate our consciences. And sometimes we’re willing to throw in more religion as a tradeoff to get something we really want.
The fact is, we’re either resigned to God – to His commands and promptings – or we’re not. And, still, God is more generous with us for the little we give than we are with Him.
What do we get in return for following our own way, carefully calculated to appear as God’s will?
For the pleasures we seek and that lead us away from Christ, we find hazy, sad places – unhealthy pastures where we get exhausted with no joy or profit. From our lack of generosity and care for others, we reap scandal, scorn and accusations, betraying the faith we proclaim.
We must awaken and fortify our souls, first by knowing that Life exists and then by partaking of that Life. We do that best with an open and generous love for God, ourselves and others, by growing in virtues and forgiving others when they offend or injure us. And by allowing ourselves to be forgiven. All these actions protect and build up the soul. They keep us from all the upsets that can gang up and throw us off track completely.
Remember, the earth is the place of struggles – a preparation for eternal blessedness. But to reach that heavenly paradise, we must suffer through the trials of our lives. This is how we grow. Every pain we suffer lovingly is a merit. Jesus had nothing but that. Should we expect a better life, the “good life?”
And for those of us who have had more than our fair share of suffering, at some point we have to let go and let God finish what he originally started with us. He alone can help us get back on the right track. God has the power to turn all to good – the bad we have done and the bad done to us.
Renew us, oh Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit!