The First Resort (Part 1)

There are times in my life when I feel miserable. Sometimes it's just easy to think about all the things that have gone wrong in my life. There are some days when everything goes wrong and it's easy to be down. And certainly no one would blame you for being down, but what do you do about it? You can't just pretend that nothing is wrong and force yourself to be happy. But whom do you run to when you're feeling down and need cheering up?

I remember I would always call a friend or friends or go play sports. There were other times in my life where I had less healthy ways of coping. And there are many other ways that people try to numb their pain: activities, sports, hobbies, video games, food, TV, movies, work and career and many other things that are not wrong in and of themselves, but become a snare when you try to find comfort in them. Other things that people do are self-destructive and can really make your life spiral out of control (and I don't think I have to list them).

I used to turn to others. I used to turn to things to cheer me up. But you know what? Instead of calling that friend to cheer you up when you're down, why don't you call God? He really wants to hear about everything that bothers you. And you can talk his ear full and he'll never get tired of you. Instead of God being the third or fourth person you call, why not call him first? The thing is, there really is comfort in him. (Thank God for friends that cheer you up, but don't make them your first and only resort.) The comfort I got from friends or games lasted for a little while, but it was really just a cover-up for the pain I was feeling, rather than a genuine solution, and it didn't really fix anything in the long run. Why are we so slow to seek God?

In Theology class we learned that one definition of sin is to address legitimate desires by illegitimate means. For example, the pain you feel may drive you to cover it up with alcohol, but your real problem will never be addressed by alcohol. The pain you feel makes you cry out for comfort, some way to relieve the pain. But alcohol is really no solution at all. The only person powerful enough to meet your needs is God. God wants to be the solution to your pain! He is the solution to your pain! God has implanted into you desires that only he can address. So when you feel down, it's supposed to drive you to God, for you to seek him! Unfortunately people address those feelings of pain, anxiety, insecurity, and loneliness by other means that never satisfy. Yes, everyone feels pain. But how are you going to address it? Are you going to trust God to take care of it? There were times when I felt like, "God, I don't know how you're supposed to heal me or how this is going to work, or if you really can be sufficient for all my needs, but I want to trust you. I heard that you want to take care of me and be my comfort and I want it to be true. I want you to do that for me." And you know what? He did.

What a difference I experienced in my life when I started casting all my cares on God! When I gave him my burdens, it was amazing to see him heal me. We sing the songs and read those scriptures almost flippantly, without really reflecting on their meaning, totally ignoring that they really are true! Just knowing that he loves me and has everything under control gives me so much comfort. Even when things momentarily seem bad, I know in the long run everything is taken care of. My eternal destiny is secure and the only person that really matters in this world loves me. What joy...

There were a lot of things that went wrong today. Feelings of hurt and pain rushed in. But I ran into his arms and found comfort and rest for my soul. Everything is under control.

Part 2 will appear tomorrow. Stay tuned!