“Laughter is God’s gift to us. So are our tears. The call the rejoice in the Lord is not negated by our expressions of distress; it is honored and made complete by them. . . . Our displays of distress, far from dishonoring God, honor him as our Creator and Redeemer, who ‘comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.’ Our cries and holy roars are for the return and completion of these promised realities.”- Scott Sauls
Scott Sauls concludes Prologue 12 of Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen as he puts forth two chief reasons to pay attention to the emotions we try to avoid.
1. Our sources of distress often trace back to ways we try to replace God with lesser things. However, Pastor Sauls underscores, God made us for Himself. Therefore, our hearts remain restless until they find their rest in God.
And, as C. S. Lewis observed in Mere Christianity:
“Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn. . . . That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.”
2. We ask something besides God to serve as our functional savior. As a result, we must contend with all such pseudosaviors to which we cling. Furthermore, we may need to let go of them for a long time or even forever.
Also, we run into problems when we turn our idols into something we cannot live without. Above all, we need to face this truth when we think it’s impossible to live without something. That truth? We’re no longer able to live with that specific idol.
In conclusion, Pastor Sauls notes, on the surface idols promise to improve our lot in life. In fact, idols actually make things worse for us. Because, the more we consume them in the short run, the more they will, in the long run, consume us. So, Pastor Sauls asks, do you find yourself willing to let go of a lesser treasure to live nearer to Christ?
Today’s question: How do our expressions of distress help us rejoice in the Lord? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the annotated bibliography of Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen
