Joyful Ruins

I think, as we live on this broken earth, we can, at times, seeking too much blessing from it. That is, not to say, that seeking good is bad or desiring blessing is wrong. Both are natural and biblical.

Yet, where are we seeking the good and the blessings from? Too many times I find myself expecting a blessing from the brokenness of this world. I seek heaven on this cursed planet. I seek home in a foreign land, and I desire wholeness in a broken place. – That is when disappointment and discouragement seeps in, covering me with darkness, and I am weighed down by the heaviness of it all.

We can all face these times and they are valid, real, not easily escaped from, and should not be taken lightly. For each person these dark moments or seasons are different and unique, only God knows the why and how and the medicine for it.

For me, recently facing a short time of utter darkness, I came to a realization of my warped perspective. This darkness did not come from nowhere, it is a culmination of hurts I have experienced, lies I have believed, and the enemy’s constant attacks. And it all came rushing at me at once.

I have begun to see how much expectation I have put into this life. Though I know nothing on this earth will bring me fulfillment or wholeness, I still believe I am entitled to blessings, the “American dream”. I expect comfort, belonging, even romance, and happiness. Although the Bible clearly tells us the world brings trouble, deep down, I have believed that trouble won’t be that bad for me and won’t be the norm of my life. I believed that I still deserved good things, especially as I do good to others. My expectations are high.

But, those are all lies. Don’t get me wrong, we are blessed. God gives good fits. However, we aren’t meant to place any expectation of blessing on this world. Just like you wouldn’t expect a broken refrigerator to keep your food cold, we can not expect a broken world to give us our desires or fulfill our greatest joys. When we expect those things, we have made the world our God.

Only from God do we receive great joys and fulfillment of desires. From the world, we receive curses, pain, and tribulation. From God we receive blessings, peace, and joy. We are not home yet, but through Jesus we get to taste a bit of home. We do not belong here, but through Jesus we can find belonging. We will feel discomfort, but through Jesus, we can experience His comfort.

Let us not expect heaven from earth, but bring a taste of heaven to earth for others to experience. In doing so, more people can hand over their disappointment and darkness to the Only One who knows what to with them. Let our expectations not be placed in this world, but laid on the cross, Jesus, and in heaven, where they are being and will be fulfilled. That way, when the world inevitably does not fulfill our hopes, we find our self at peace because we know this is not the end.