In an editorial I read recently, it was observed that, within our society, there is a fundamental conflict. On the one hand, we love to enjoy ourselves. We want to eat well, dress well, live well; and of course, pride ourselves on possessing whatever is the latest and greatest. As the editorial pointed out, many of us equip our cars more lavishly than the majority of the world furnishes their homes.
And yet, on the other hand, we are spiritual children of the Puritans, who viewed life as a grim and serious business—with the sins of pleasure always trying to tempt us from the paths of righteousness. Indeed, so suspicious were the Puritans of anything pleasurable that they actually passed a law prohibiting laughter on the Sabbath!
Both of these tendencies run deep in our society; and frankly, we have never really figured out how to reconcile the two. One voice inside our heads says, “Enjoy!” while the other says, “Abstain!” One voice says, “Life is short; better make the most of it” while the other says, “Life is short; better not waste it on frivolous pursuits.” One voice says, “Follow your bliss, and do whatever gives you pleasure” while the other says, “Follow the Lord, and do only what pleases God.” No wonder we are confused!
Some have claimed that the source of this inner conflict is our appetites. Ever since Eve first gazed upon the forbidden fruit and saw that it was “good to eat and a delight to the eyes,” we have learned that being led by our appetites is an open invitation for disaster. Hence, we are taught to suppress our appetites, restrain our desires, control our urges—as if these were bad things, filled with evil intent.
But hold on a moment. Who made the forbidden fruit good to eat and a delight to the eyes? Who gave us the capacity to be enthralled by beauty, or excited by pleasure, or swept off our feet by the thrill of being in love? God did! In the Talmud (the collected wisdom of the earliest rabbis), it is written, “In the world to come, each of us will be called to account for all the good things God put on this earth which we refused to enjoy.”
Isn’t that a remarkable statement? No shame or scorn for our appetites and desires. Instead, a sense of reverence for the pleasures of life which God put here for our enjoyment. Of course, like all gifts, the pleasures of life can be misused; but in such cases, the fault becomes ours, not God’s. I am inclined to believe that viewing our appetites with disgust, or even mistrust, is as much a heresy as viewing them with unqualified adoration.
We were not created to live solely in pursuit of our own happiness—that’s true. But neither were we created to deny ourselves happiness. The key, it seems to me, is finding the proper balance between what gives us pleasure and what delights God—and ultimately, if that balance is achieved, we may discover that what gives us pleasure and what delights God are one and the same!
And yet, on the other hand, we are spiritual children of the Puritans, who viewed life as a grim and serious business—with the sins of pleasure always trying to tempt us from the paths of righteousness. Indeed, so suspicious were the Puritans of anything pleasurable that they actually passed a law prohibiting laughter on the Sabbath!
Both of these tendencies run deep in our society; and frankly, we have never really figured out how to reconcile the two. One voice inside our heads says, “Enjoy!” while the other says, “Abstain!” One voice says, “Life is short; better make the most of it” while the other says, “Life is short; better not waste it on frivolous pursuits.” One voice says, “Follow your bliss, and do whatever gives you pleasure” while the other says, “Follow the Lord, and do only what pleases God.” No wonder we are confused!
Some have claimed that the source of this inner conflict is our appetites. Ever since Eve first gazed upon the forbidden fruit and saw that it was “good to eat and a delight to the eyes,” we have learned that being led by our appetites is an open invitation for disaster. Hence, we are taught to suppress our appetites, restrain our desires, control our urges—as if these were bad things, filled with evil intent.
But hold on a moment. Who made the forbidden fruit good to eat and a delight to the eyes? Who gave us the capacity to be enthralled by beauty, or excited by pleasure, or swept off our feet by the thrill of being in love? God did! In the Talmud (the collected wisdom of the earliest rabbis), it is written, “In the world to come, each of us will be called to account for all the good things God put on this earth which we refused to enjoy.”
Isn’t that a remarkable statement? No shame or scorn for our appetites and desires. Instead, a sense of reverence for the pleasures of life which God put here for our enjoyment. Of course, like all gifts, the pleasures of life can be misused; but in such cases, the fault becomes ours, not God’s. I am inclined to believe that viewing our appetites with disgust, or even mistrust, is as much a heresy as viewing them with unqualified adoration.
We were not created to live solely in pursuit of our own happiness—that’s true. But neither were we created to deny ourselves happiness. The key, it seems to me, is finding the proper balance between what gives us pleasure and what delights God—and ultimately, if that balance is achieved, we may discover that what gives us pleasure and what delights God are one and the same!
posted by Dr. Robert Crilley at
1:50 PM
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