It’s easy to be bummed; it’s easy to be solemn (see the reason for the title of this website). Sometimes I whine. You know, the God of the Universe loves me and is present right now in my life…but, like, things aren’t going perfectly, so why be joyful? Gloom, despair, and agony.
Check out this answer from Skye Jethani, author of many things, including the With God Daily Devotional, today’s edition of which I will now quote from extensively without permission but with plenteous, humble attribution and a little bit of editing (for time only, of course).
From Skye:
Have you noticed how depressed Christians are lately? Some are fretting over court decisions. Others worry about the tax status of their churches or faith-based organization…. I am not denying the reality or gravity of these challenges and many others but are they an excuse to not be joyful?
When we feel responsible to address and correct every problem with the world and the church is facing, we are taking too much of God’s calling upon ourselves. Some Christians pride themselves on their devotion to right every wrong, advance every good, and restrain every evil in our world. When that happens we exchange a godly motivation for a false one. I appreciate how John Howard Yoder explains it:
“As servant people we are relaxed. The weight of the world has been lifted from our shoulders; we are not the managers of society—nor would we be if we thought we were. We don’t have to save democracy and the free world; we don’t even have to save ourselves…Should we be ineffective, our cause is not lost; should our efforts bear fruit, this will not be their justification.…We serve not in order that the kingdom might come, but because it is coming; the certainty of victory is the beginning not the end of our course.”
Whew. That is a relief. I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s why I went ahead and let Skye say it today.
Please check out Skye Jethani’s devotional at WithGodDaily.com. Getting 30 of these excellent devos every month cost less than a cup of Starbucks and is much less bitter. Yes, Skye, you’re welcome to make a t-shirt out of that.
While you’re at it, also check out Skye on the Phil Vischer Podcast, available on iTunes or at PhilVischer.com.
Thus ends the plug, but the good news is only beginning.
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