What I want to talk about in this blog post, is the hope that is available to us in these troubled times. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God has promised that he will “wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
In other words, God has promised to restore the world and take away all that which causes us pain. If you believe in the truth of the Bible, this is also something that you must believe in. No matter how dark it seems on the outside, there will come a turning point, even if we don’t know exactly when or how. And for more and more people every day, there is a light inside that burns ever more bright as the world grows darker. A tangible, unquestionable light, whose strength is intimately connected with our surrender to God.
An atheist bus campaign had the following to say a few years ago: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Some of the world’s most influential intellectuals stood behind the campaign.
What I have learned is that what seems to be a good idea from the human intellect’s perspective, often does not turn out so good when put into practice. When we stop worrying and enjoy life, life tends to become neither worry-free nor enjoyable for most of us. For some it does. But not for most of us. And even for those that it does, tragedy can strike at any moment and when it does, unless we have God in our life, senseless pain with no hope of restoration is the only available option.
I realize that if this is how the world truly is, we can do nothing but swallow the bitter pill and cope with it to the best of our ability. But today I know this belief to be false, which is a source of great hope and joy in the midst of the crisises that we are facing today. I can’t say that it will happen this way for everyone, but for me all it took was to open up to the possibility that God exists, a little less than twenty years go. God took care of the rest.
If you look at what the world teaches us about anything from sex, to interpersonal relations, to consumer habits and what we should focus on and prioritize, it seems pretty reasonable on the surface. But in practice it is utterly unnatural, makes us unhappy and unfulfilled. Many are starting to see through this now. What has been known for a long time within the domain of religion and spirituality, is more and more confirmed by psychological research.
Those that haven’t met me since my teens and early twenties would not recognize me today. For most of my life from mid adolescence up until I found my faith, I had this feeling that who I am is not really me. That if I chose a completely different identity tomorrow, that identity would be no less me than the one today. This could also be worth thinking about in the identity-obsessed culture of today.
I don’t feel the way that I just described anymore though. My identity as a believer in God, as spiritual, and today also as a Christian, was the first part of my whole identity that felt true. That didn’t feel completely arbitrary. That wasn’t permeated by meaninglessness lack of seriousness.
At the time I told myself that I was pretty content with what can ultimately be boiled down to a nihilistic view of life and the world. I embraced the belief that if I died tomorrow, nothing would matter anymore as far as I was concerned. Zero responsibility and zero consequences.
Now I’ve learned that what we tell ourselves is very often very far from the truth. But we tend to forget that the concept of “lying to ourselves” actually means something. If we think of it at all, we often tend to think that it is an activity that others engage in, but that we somehow are exempt from.
Back then I engaged in many behaviors that hurt me and others. Behaviors that from a materialist perspective seemed harmless and completely acceptable. It took years to see the damage that they had caused. I thank God that he didn’t leave me in this sorry state. That he instead not only showed me where I had gone astray, but also showed me something infinitely better than the empty gratifications that I was seeking in the world.
As what the world has to offer becomes more and more hollow, costly and painful, the choice should become more and more easy to make. And once you’ve tasted just a little of what God has to offer, you will scoff at the fruits of the world if they cause you to disobey God. And this is what you need to do. What all of us need to do. Obey God. It’s either that or slavery to the world. God never forces his will upon us. Neither does he try to manipulate us into doing his will. Coercion and manipulation are the ways of the world. And God only wants us to do what is best for us. What brings us closer to him.
I’m a perfect example of this. I was so lost in wanting to have my own will, that I didn’t see how enslaved my stubbornness was making me. And I truly managed to convince myself that my lifestyle was making me happy, free and emancipated.
If you are still seeking happiness in the ways of the world you may think that I’m fooling myself now. That I was more true to myself before. This something that I’ve noticed when I’ve spoken or listened to many atheists over the years. That even though I feel much better in every way today, they still believe that I’m somehow missing out on life. But to me it’s overwhelmingly clear - when I was having “my” way I wasn’t free at all. But the more I surrender, the freer, happier, more alive and liberated I feel.
The funny thing is that when I enjoy the fruits of the world in the way God intended, everything feels and tastes much better. When God is allowed to permeate my senses, all of my experiences become so much more colorful, vivid, delightful and beautiful.
If you want one big takeaway from the Old Testament it is this: stray from the path that God has laid out for you and you will be the victim of the forces of this world. Follow the path and things will go well for you.
God wants to give us everything that is good for us in abundance. But in his time, in the right way and when we are ready for it. We were made to love God and to be loved by God. This is what is written into our hearts. This is a love that exists in each and everyone of us, from the lowest to the highest. It is a love that is always there, no matter how many layers of dirt that we have managed to bury it under. It is about opening up and let this love in. And we cannot do this when our thoughts, words and actions are loveless. Empty sensory gratification, for example, is by its very nature loveless. But as soon as we let go and let love in, there is no more doubt. This is not something that we have to strive for. It is not something that we need to accomplish. It is just a question of what drives our thoughts, words and actions. God will take care of the rest.
Photo by Randy Jacob on Unsplash
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