"Life IS pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." ~Wesley from The Princess Bride (best movie ever by the way, see it now if you haven't already)
He's right, life is pain. Yet for some reason, there are some Christians who try to ignore that reality. They think that God is some magic wizard in the sky, who will grant them their every wish and desire and that if he doesn't, he either hates them or is punishing them because they did something horribly wrong.
Where did that kind of thinking come from?
Everyone in the world faces unspeakable pain. The rain falls on the good and the bad. Yes, some people face more pain than others in their lifetime, that's true. Why it is, I don't know. I'm not God, his ways are higher than mine, his thoughts higher than my thoughts. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it fair? No. Do I understand it? No. But is it still true? Yes. And we need to realize this if we don't want to go crazy living in some kind of la-la land. I don't like when Christians try to sway non-Christians to believe in Jesus by making them believe that if they do believe, all of the sudden, their life will become so much better. That all their pain and misery will go away. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. I wish it did, that'd be awesome. But no, everyone still faces pain, no matter what. Sometimes, it helps us grow. Sometimes it teaches us lessons. And sometimes, it is cruel and unfair and there is no answer in this world for why it had to happen. God always answers prayer, that's a certainty. However, he doesn't always answer the way we want. That's the problem. And yes, it is hard (and of course painful) when our prayers aren't answered the way we want. I've barely felt the pain of disappointment and lonliness and fear the way many people have, and I remember how much I've hurt in those few times I've had, so I can honestly say that I don't even want to imagine the depths of their pain and hurting.
The fact is, there is and always will be pain and suffering and horror in this world as it is now. Accepting Jesus as your savior won't change that, it only gives you hope. Hope that someday, you will finally be away from this world and the pain and suffering it brings and in someplace far, far better. To finish with the Princess Bride theme, Wesley (Jesus) will come and whisk Buttercup (us) away from the awful prince Humperdink (Satan and his suffering) and we actually will live happily ever after (in Heaven).
And that analogy is just one more reason why the Princess Bride is one of the best movies ever! :)
He's right, life is pain. Yet for some reason, there are some Christians who try to ignore that reality. They think that God is some magic wizard in the sky, who will grant them their every wish and desire and that if he doesn't, he either hates them or is punishing them because they did something horribly wrong.
Where did that kind of thinking come from?
Everyone in the world faces unspeakable pain. The rain falls on the good and the bad. Yes, some people face more pain than others in their lifetime, that's true. Why it is, I don't know. I'm not God, his ways are higher than mine, his thoughts higher than my thoughts. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it fair? No. Do I understand it? No. But is it still true? Yes. And we need to realize this if we don't want to go crazy living in some kind of la-la land. I don't like when Christians try to sway non-Christians to believe in Jesus by making them believe that if they do believe, all of the sudden, their life will become so much better. That all their pain and misery will go away. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. I wish it did, that'd be awesome. But no, everyone still faces pain, no matter what. Sometimes, it helps us grow. Sometimes it teaches us lessons. And sometimes, it is cruel and unfair and there is no answer in this world for why it had to happen. God always answers prayer, that's a certainty. However, he doesn't always answer the way we want. That's the problem. And yes, it is hard (and of course painful) when our prayers aren't answered the way we want. I've barely felt the pain of disappointment and lonliness and fear the way many people have, and I remember how much I've hurt in those few times I've had, so I can honestly say that I don't even want to imagine the depths of their pain and hurting.
The fact is, there is and always will be pain and suffering and horror in this world as it is now. Accepting Jesus as your savior won't change that, it only gives you hope. Hope that someday, you will finally be away from this world and the pain and suffering it brings and in someplace far, far better. To finish with the Princess Bride theme, Wesley (Jesus) will come and whisk Buttercup (us) away from the awful prince Humperdink (Satan and his suffering) and we actually will live happily ever after (in Heaven).
And that analogy is just one more reason why the Princess Bride is one of the best movies ever! :)
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