Joy

Sometimes I can’t tell by looking at Christians whether God wants us to be happy or miserable. I think God wants us to have good lives. There is quite a bit in the Bible about suffering, but Jesus does say that he came that we may have life and have it to the full. The thing is, I don’t think that means that we are always going to be happy.

But, I don’t think people are after perpetual pleasure. I think people naturally understand that in order for life to be fulfilling, we have to do some suffering. It’s the suffering that makes the overcoming so satisfying. It’s when people don’t think there will be an end to the suffering, or there is no way to deal with the suffering that they get discouraged and depressed. That’s when people start looking to keep themselves happy whatever it takes.

I’m a Christian because I think God has the answers to the big questions. I think Jesus speaks to the human condition. The problem is that we often think that God is only concerned with our eternal souls. We are so concerned with whether or not we are going to go to heaven in the future, we forget that God wants us to live full lives and help others live full lives now. I don’t think God wants us to be happy all the time. Happiness is overrated. And I don’t think that God will take away suffering because he knows what suffering produces. I do think that he wants us to love our lives and that comes through struggle.