‘But even if we are faithless, he will still be full of faith, for he never wavers in his faithfulness to us.’ 2 Timothy 2:13 (The Passion version)
We’ve all heard the well-worn slogan that encourages us to escape our troubles by doing more of what we love. But can we really find lasting pleasure from doing what we don’t like by doing something we do?
The truth is that only God’s love can satisfy, but a dissatisfied person will opt for being a self-gratified person in a million different ways. People can be genuinely convinced that life is meant to gratify them. However, God never gave us an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Rather, God gives us a responsibility to value and care for one another and build a loving relationship with Him.
Life is not an object for our pursuit of happiness and self-gratitude. The discovery of this has caused disappointed people to run away from a life they don’t like instead of building a life of satisfaction with God in the midst of their pain. Real pleasure and satisfaction will only ever come from the hand of God, even when we are in the midst of pain. We must run into the arms of God, not run from them. Even if we don’t get what we want, our good God remains faithful, and we will receive what we need in our pain and troubles.
Is life difficult just now? Let’s not try to escape by seeking satisfaction and pleasure elsewhere. Jesus is totally committed to us. Purpose and meaning for our lives is only found in Him, nowhere else. Great is God’s faithfulness.