DO YOU THINK GOD WANTS US TO LOOK LIKE THIS?

There seems to be so much unhappiness in the world these days. People are angry. Discontented. Bitter. Full of worry and fret and seemingly hopelessness.

Newscasts are filled with distress, sadness, horror. If they can't find them on the streets of Phoenix, no problem--they'll just show some tragedy that happened preferably in the US, but if not, they'll take a good tsunami somewhere else. Editorial pages are the same. Impending doom. Somebody did something (or not) to cause someone else grief. Or someone else is making a profit that they don't deserve (because the writer didn't benefit). Maybe there's a rehash of old news. Better yet, a revisionist's views of history.

It's true, no one ever said life was easy. Someone once said "life is a bowl of cherries," whatever that means, but Jesus never said the Christian life would be easy. In fact, He took great pains to illustrate, to warn about the cost of following Him. But I can't envision His 12 having the countenance of Oliva Newton-John in the picture. Even when considering the sacrifices they would have to make.

God didn't create us to be unhappy. To be dour, to be critical, to be frustrated. I think it would certainly please Satan to see us in this negative light. Then an appeal from him would be more tempting.

Don't worry, though. God is"faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." (I Cor. 10:13) And, as the verse continues, "He will also provide a way out." But He's not done. He's provided armor (Eph 6:10-20) to do battle against Satan. At a local Christian bookstore, we purchased the clothes illustrating the armor of God--the breastplate, the shield, helmet, belt, footgear, and sword--for one of our grandson's Build-a-Bear. I mean, even a Build-a-Bear needs protection.

So, I'm not going to sing or hum the old song of annoyance, "Don't Worry: be Happy," and I'm sorry if that "It's a Small World" type ditty goes around and around in your head, but I am saying God is trustworthy. We're armed. So lighten up.