If someone came up to you and told you that they believed the point of life was not to be happy, would you be down for that? It sounds ridiculous. Why would we want to be unhappy? When you tell people that the point of life is not to be comfortable, there’s probably a similar reaction. We’re programmed to think that we deserve a comfortable life with no worries.
I read a verse this morning that hit me hard. It’s in John 12: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
It’s not that we’re actually supposed to hate our life here on earth. That would be a bit rough. It means that compared to living for Christ we are to hate our life here on earth. Not because our living on this earth is so bad, but our focus should be so much on Christ that the rest of our desires and wants related to this world pass away, and we become focused on the desires God has for us.
This isn’t submitting to an unhappy life. In fact, it’s what bring us the most joy in life. Not comfort…joy. We are most content when we are closest to God. When we are pursuing His will for our lives.
When we are wrapped up in pursuing our own desires and wants, we lose sight of the big picture and throw away the life God has given to us. A life that He has blessed and wants to bless us in. We sacrifice an eternal purpose for short term satisfaction.
Beware when you start feeling comfortable that you aren’t falling into the exact path that the enemy wants. Into your fleshly desires rather than the Godly desires that come through the Christ.