just one.

Andrew always quotes C.S. Lewis in saying, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”  There are so many more reasons to think negatively and live out of cynicism than to hold fast to a value as feeble and unreliable as optimism.  The so-called prosperity Gospel entices us because it promises, “Come to Jesus, and be happy.”  Yet there are still so many disenchanted youth filing in and out of churches, coming up to altar calls every week and re-dedicating themselves to Jesus.  “Save me, Jesus, I’ve done it again – I am still a hopeless sinner.”  We feel bad about ourselves, and walk around painted in guilt.  There are still depressed Christians, suicidal Christians, and, dare I say it – lost Christians.

Maybe we lost the heart of the message somewhere. 

It’s not “Come to Jesus, and be happy” but, “Come to Jesus, and die.”  Die to your anger.  Die to your depression.  Die to your insecurities.  Die to your doubts.  Die to your self.  Jesus never promised us happiness.  He promised us endurance, strength, and authority over the circumstances that threaten to tip us over the edge of life. 

In the past three months that I’ve been here, I’ve known friends who have lost people to hopeless depression.  Because of this, I’ve hungrily held onto the knowledge that we really only have one life to live.  One life to dream all of your dreams and one life to accomplish all of your goals.  One life to love deeply and encounter God in others and yourself.  If death has been at your doorstep, knocking and threatening, open the door and tell him to go to hell, because you’re not done living.  Until your dying breath, you had better be doing what you were made to do, and you had better laugh your way through it.