The necessity of hope

No one operates without hope. We all must have it. Without hope, we give up trying to accomplish things. Once we lose hope we quit.

What is hope? It is ¹anticipation or expectation -- sometimes absolute confidence -- of obtaining what we do not yet have, that we believe will give us the greatest sense of meaning, importance, worth, significance, etc. The common emotion we experience when we obtain this is happiness. 

To say it another way, hope is driven by finding what we believe is missing that will make us most happy if and when we find it.

What is it about us that causes us to need and seek hope? Why is having hope so essential, so much so that we will end our life if we no longer have it? What is missing that creates a desire to always look for something to satisfy us; to fulfill our hope? ²Why do we hope at all?

Hope is so much a part of our makeup, even in suicide someone is operating out of hope.

Ironically, they hope to end the pain of no longer having hope. They have lost hope of finding any true or lasting meaning, purpose or significance. They feel totally helpless, useless, and worthless. The pain of their present existence is greater than their hope of finding relief from it. They are driven by a desperate hope that ending their present state might stop the screaming pain of no hope and give them peace. When we say, ³"rest in peace" (R.I.P) when someone leaves this "veil of tears" we are expressing this very thing. The hope that our life ending will finally stop the unsuccessful pursuit to relieve the pain of disappointment, fear, loss etc.

Hope for the unbeliever

Ultimately, hope for the unbeliever is the satisfaction of their thirst for meaning, purpose, and value occurring when they obtain wealth, fame, power influence, a life partner or  ____________  (fill in the blank), etc.  Outside of Christ and His infinite love, all our energy, and creativity, all our endeavors and enterprises are driven by this hope.

If our hope is a specific goal, such as "one day I will be or have the best this or that' -- 'get that perfect job' -- 'find the perfect partner' -- 'become a multimillionaire' -- 'win the Olympics' - or whatever we believe will give us the greatest sense of meaning,, significance, purpose etc. - and when I do, I will finally find real happiness." 

Ironically reaching a major life goal can result in the opposite of what is hoped for - i.e. despair, not happiness. After great struggle and effort someone finally reachs what they hoped would give them some anticipated meaning or significance, only to find it ⁴does not give them the satisfaction and peace they'd hoped for. 

We sometimes hear of those reaching the pinnacle of their dreams and goals only to become totally disenchanted. Then trying to numb the pain of this new discovery through substance abuse, often winding up overdosing or taking their own life. 

Think of all the ⁵celebrities who have struggled with substance abuse after reaching wealth and fame. Their life ended as a result. 

These are people our culture admires and looks up to with the greatest regard/ admiration. After all, they have "made it" in life. 

Yet, they are miserable more often than not and sometimes more than ever. This is true far more than we like to acknowledge. To acknowledge this means we are hoping for the wrong things.

Existentialism. Man's solution to hope in a postmodern world.

The existentialist says there is no real objective purpose or meaning to our existence. Yet everything within us objects and screams out against this. We are compelled to have meaning and hope. We must have it! So much so that this world view says we must create it even when their belief system doesn't allow for it. 

So how does the existentialist handle this dilemma? They tell you to create a sense of meaning (subjectively) by doing things that make you feel meaningful and significant, i.e. create meaning by acting as if there is meaning even though their world view says it is a myth. Do something that gives you a sense of meaning and purpose even though the universe, including us, is truly pointless and a big cosmic accident that came about by chance. 

Existentialism demonstrates that hope is such a necessary part of our makeup, we must somehow create it even though it is totally incompatible with their world view.

So hope for the existentialist is creating a sense of meaning through my actions in an otherwise meaningless existence.  i.e. we must create meaning through our existing in a meaningful way, even though our existence is meaningless according to them. For the existentialist, there is no real absolute and objective truth or meaning; no objective, transcendent purpose. It is purely subjective. 

The expression "If it feels good, do it" - so prevalent today - is the "fruit" of this world view. Purpose, significance, or meaning is based solely on my experience not on any absolute objective reality that any of these are real since no such reality exists for the existentialist. 

Suicide is not uncommon among those who adopt this philosophy. For Camus (a highly regarded existentialist) - since there is no real objective meaning in the universe - "Should I kill myself?" was the essential and nagging philosophical question.

The believers hope

The ultimate hope for the believer is full satisfaction of purpose, meaning, and significance when we are face to face with Christ, the Creator - our relentless, boundless lover. It is a belief in this promise that fuels the believer's hope and actions.

This raises and addresses the question and dilemma of what is the legitimate motive for acting. Is it because, as believers, we ⁶already experience partial fulfillment in anticipation of complete fulfillment or because we are in search of something in order to be fulfilled as nonbelievers? 

The former results in acting out the hope of fullness, the latter out of emptiness. We are driven either by a desire to honor God because we already have absolute and perfect meaning through the promise/hope of eternal meaning/bliss in and with Him or the hope for some kind of meaning now through our efforts.

(ESV)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(KJV)  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(NASB)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(AMP)  NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

(ERV)  Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see.

(GNB)  To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.

For a discussion on how this life is full of trouble click here. 

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¹There appears to be different kinds or levels of hope. "I hope so" would probably be the weakest and most common meaning we give that word. It's more wishful thinking than a rock-solid certainty. This is commonly what is meant when hope is used in casual conversation. 

Anticipation and expectation are a little stronger. This would be what a kid feels leading up to Christmas. Though they don't have their gifts yet, they are sure they will because they have always received them in the past and believe they will again because of past treatment. 

This video (click here) is revealing -- and possibly a humorous or cruel example of how significant hope is when kids get something other then what they hoped for at Christmas or their birthdays. This is not something we have to teach kids. Hope is an inherent part of our makeup. 

The strongest form of hope is absolute certainty. This is usually how hope is used in the bible. What you hope for is so certain it's as if you already have it when you do not yet i.e. the only piece missing is you don't yet have what you hope for but are 100% sure you will. The reason for the certainty is it is based on the unchangeable nature of the one making the promise i.e. God Himself and the actions He has already taken -- by sending Jesus -- as rock-solid proof He already loves us and will fufill what he promised. God has already acted in a way that assures us he will come through on what we are told is yet to come. 

Men make promises but they are not all-powerful and may not be able to keep them. God, however, is absolutely able and therefore always true to His word/promise. He not only has the intent (love) to do what He promises, but the ability (power) to accomplish it and also knows exactly (wisdom) what is needed. 

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²For a discussion of what it is we are all after click here.

³It is ironic that there is a universal sense -- though not always a conscious one -- that no one is permanently at peace in this life. Hence the wish for someone to rest in peace (R.I.P.) after dying. This is a back handed way of acknowledging life is a struggle and often full of turmoil. It is worth pointing out this expression began when the notion that someone who was a follower of Christ was headed for heaven - a place of perfect rest and peace - was much more commonly held. We still use the expression even though certainty of a blissful afterlife is far less common. The idea is we feel we must leave this life to be free from our restlessness -- or at least hope we will be. Complete uninterrupted peace in this life is elusive at best. Therefore we hope for it after this life.

⁴Or the thrill quickly fades so we redouble our efforts to achieve it again, or try something else in an attempt to find a better thrill and temporary rush of happiness -- or relief of pain. The fact that we go after it, again and again, indicates we never actually find it -- at least not in a lasting way -- yet hope we still can.  

⁵It's not that celebrities have more struggles. We all struggle. But it's because, more than the average person, they obtain what we all hope for and experience it first hand -- unlike most of us -- and then - to their dismay - find it doesn't deliver on its promises. To say it concisely, what they had hoped for they achieved but it still didn't work. 

⁶Though we will not experience complete fulfillment in this life, it is the anticipation of it, that gives us hope and joy. 

Shifting hope

We get frustrated (or angry) with the struggles of life because intuitively we know pain and struggle is not what we were originally created for. We were ultimately created for a relationship of infinite, uninterrupted love, joy and bliss; not merely finite (limited/temporary) relationships or relationships with things finite.

We long for a relationship of *infinite love. When we can not find it we go after anything else we can "get our hands on" to give us that sense of love, glory, meaning, value etc. Yet we never truly find long term what we seek. We only experience tastes of it in fits and starts. 

Even for those blessed enough to be in a healthy relationship(s)... one(s) they are truly grateful for, it still is not enough. We long for more because we were designed for more...far more. 

Until we realize what we long for will not and can not be found in this life, we go through life constantly disappointed and always frustrated. 

Only when we come to a place that we know what we really long for is not here but yet to come, does the frustration subside. Our hope shifts and we enter into a true and lasting hope and begin to pursue all other things in light of this new hope. 

Rom 5:2  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

Rom 8:20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  24  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

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*Once true (perfect, infinite, uninterrupted) love is awakened, we desire more with even greater intensity and ultimately with everything that is in us. 

Usually the closest we come to this is when we "fall in love" for the first time. But it isn't sufficient because perfect, infinite, uninterrupted love is what we are designed for. This is our ultimate and true hope and only this love will do.

Longing… Painful or Pleasant?

Longing for meaning, purpose, and happiness is both painful and pleasant. 

Too long for something is to desire what you do not have. 

To not have what you desire is to feel lack or emptiness. 

To lack or be empty is not pleasant but painful.

However, there is also no longing without hope.

If we have no hope, we cannot allow ourselves to feel longing out fear of not getting what we long for.

Without hope, our longing must be shut down or numbed or it will drive us to despair.  The reason people commit suicide is they lose hope. 

If we have hope of obtaining what we long for, we pursue it with excitement and anticipation of fulfillment. The greater the hope, the greater the excitement and anticipation. 

For these reasons, longing is both painful and pleasant at the same time.

Rom 8:24  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

Rom 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 

what moves us to faithfulness?

Psa 33:18  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

At least two things are involved in *experiencing God's working in our lives -- having his caring attention/eye on us, thereby moving/motivating us to faithfulness i.e. to obedience. 

fear of the Lord AND hope in his steadfast love                                                             

      

Fear- The utmost regard for God's absolute rule (sovereignty), majesty, power, and holiness. Recognizing these things about God is the beginning of wisdom i.e. where wise living starts.                                                              
Hope- The anticipation of being in God's presence and experiencing the fullness of who he is in all his infinite love **according to or in proportion to our faithfulness to him in this life.

"... who hope in his steadfast love..." Why do we hope in God's steadfast love? Don't we have and experience his love now? We do but only by faith, from afar if you will, not yet fully seeing Him as He is i.e. not through direct first-hand experience but "through a glass darkly..." 

Though God's disposition is one of perfect love towards us now and can not be added to or taken away from -- it's based on the perfect work of Christ, not our imperfect feeble attempts at perfect faithfulness -- we will not experience the fullness of his love until we see him face to face in eternity. 

It is this hope, the hope of complete transformation and glorification, and the promise of the fullest ***experience of his love -- which will increase throughout eternity -- this hope moves us to diligently pursue to him.

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." I John 3:2-3

"For the one who ****sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Gal 6:8-9. Give up what? Hope of eternal bliss/life. 

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*We must distinguish between having God's love and participating/experiencing it. Having it is based on Christ's efforts alone, not ours. We can never do enough to secure God's love for us. Experiencing and more fully participating in his love, however, is contingent on faithful obedience i.e.  "the just shall live by faith..."  For a further discussion on this click here. 

** "according to..." also carries with it a respect/fear for God i.e. God does things a certain way (according to design) and if we do not live accordingly we experience the repercussions of living contrary to that design.

***The essence of our reward is greater union with God and therefore greater participation and firsthand experience of his perfect love in proportion to our faithfulness i.e. faithful obedience. 

By "in proportion..." we mean our experience and participation in God and His love throughout eternity are in proportion to our trust/faithful obedience to him now, in this life. Our faithfulness doesn't save us but it does increase our capacity to enjoy God. God is the reward of that faithfulness. Participation in God's love throughout eternity is the reward for our faithfulness now, in this life.

****Sewing and reaping is evidence of design and a Designer.

Knowing God but not fully yet!

Understanding the "already... not yet" aspect of the gospel (good news) is vital. This addresses how we are seated in the heavenly's but have yet to be in heaven. Without a clear understanding of the difference, we will not enter into the benefits of what God has already secured for us in this life. 

This involves a clear understanding and faith in who we are in Christ right now vs who we are not yet but will be one day. This concerns how we are viewed by God now vs how we will experience God in eternity.

To gain a solid understanding of this key component of the gospel (good news), we need to differentiate between our ¹legal status (standing) before God and our actual experience of God.

What do we mean by the expression "already but not yet?"

Christ already fully loves us (just as much as He will in eternity), but we have not yet experienced that love to the full extent we will in eternity.

God is already fully committed to us, totally engaged in our good, and fully present with us now (just as much as He will be in eternity) but we do not yet see him face-to-face i.e. we are not yet without any obstructions, or distractions and fully in his presence (though His love and care are perfectly and fully set upon us now and every moment in Christ...in Him, we live and move and have our being).

We are totally delivered from the ultimate legal consequences of our past, present, and future rebellious distrust of God. But we are not yet presently or fully delivered from all the practical consequences of that rebellion or from being in a broken, rebellious world and wrestling with the day-to-day struggle of our own distrust. We ²still wrestle with trusting God perfectly even as His children - in the same way Christ did (though Christ did without sin i.e. he always obeyed. We often do not).

For now, what connects and brings something of - ³but not all - the glorious future blessings God has in store for us into the present, is faith. 

Faith in what? Faith that God is fully committed to us and engaged in our lives as much now as He will be in eternity. And He is working in all things for our good for those who love Him, even if it doesn't seem or feel like it presently. And He is using all things good, bad, and ugly to draw us into greater union with Him, who is life, love, and the source of all things.

In this present existence, the just - those who are legally and perfectly right before God because of Christ - live by faith. Faith is the evidence of what we hope for (confidently expect) and the certainty of things not yet seen (Heb 11:1) i.e. faith in what is already perfectly ours - though not yet fully ours in our day- to-day experience. By this faith, we bring something of our glorious future of overflowing joy and delight into the present. The more we agree with and trust in what we now have (God's perfect acceptance, commitment, and love) the more we experience something of it but do not yet fully have, i.e. the full experience and participation in what is already ours legally. 

You could say God has all of us now as much as He will ever have (regarding His complete acceptance, love, and devotion to us) but we do not have all of God yet. God is always working through all our experiences in this life to move us more in that direction practically/ experientially, to align us more fully with what has already been earned for us legally. Christ already fully took care of the legal part i.e. "It is finished."

No matter how much faith we have it will not result in the ³full experience we are yet to have in eternity i.e. we are not glorified yet with all its benefits. Glorification is real and something different from our present experience. Something will happen to us that is not yet happening. 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Only in eternity will all tears, pain, and death be eliminated. Only then will the rest of creation be fully delivered from the corruption, pollution, and decay of its present bondage.

Yet, at the same time, we are already glorified in the eyes of God.

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (a present reality). Rom 8:30. 

Our present existence consists of pain and suffering. For now, we primarily experience God by faith. But there are times He will give us glimpses of His infinite love providentially, i.e. we will experience something of His involvement in our day-to-day lives circumstantially. And if we are about advancing His purposes, this involvement may be very significant - just nowhere near the same level we will see in eternity.

In eternity, we will experience God fully and directly without interruption, in all the fullness of His glory, face-to-face. Now we relate to God through faith, hope, and love. In eternity, love will be central if not the only way we relate to Him. Who hopes for what they already fully have or must trust what is fully seen?  

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Cor 13:12‭-‬13

"...then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known..."

This wording is deliberate and specific. It says our experience of God (knowing Him perfectly) is not yet full even though God's disposition of love and commitment to us (and knowledge about us - including our sin) is i.e. we are fully known (and loved) by God even though we do not yet fully know (and love) Him. 

This suggests the reason we will one day fully know him is because He already fully knows and embraces us now in our brokenness i.e. he knows everything about us, good, bad, and ugly, and fully receives and embraces us in Christ.

For a further discussion on how we know God now vs in eternity click here.

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¹Because of Christ the disposition God has towards us now is exactly the same as it will be in eternity i.e. perfect and total love and acceptance. We will be no more loved by God in eternity than we are right now. The difference will be our experience of that love. It will be different because we will be different (glorified) and face-to-face with him vs seeing him now through a glass darkly (in a mirror dimly) i.e. we now live by faith, not by direct sight, as we will one day be in His direct and unobstructed presence.

The only reason we are equally loved and accepted by God now as we will be in eternity is Christ. He took the full consequences of our rebellious unbelief onto himself and assigned his perfect obedience and the right standing he earned with the Father fully to us. In the eyes of God, we are legally, perfectly, and fully received and embraced in the same way, and as much as the eternal Son of God is...the Son of His eternal and infinite affection. We are now seated (legally established) in the heavens, but not fully (physically) present there yet.

²God seeks to eliminate that wrestling as much as possible by increasing our faith and removing our doubt as we faithfully pursue Him.

³Though a great deal of the energy and effort expended by many believers is to secure all the benefits of heaven here and now. This is sometimes referred to as the "health and wealth" gospel or the "prosperity" gospel. To assume this, does not recognize the benefit of struggle and the importance and necessity of strengthening our faith through it.

For an excellent, more technical article on the "already, but not yet" teaching in scripture click here.

Misplaced hope… Unfounded anger

One of our greatest challenges in handling the pain and suffering of this life is we place far too much value on the comforts of this life. In fact we often place ultimate value in them. We long for something in this life that God has not promised and then are surprised when we do not find it. We look for life that is pain and trouble-free when it is not promised. At least not yet. In short we seek the full bliss of heaven on earth now when it is yet to come. 

There is nothing wrong with seeking comfort or pleasure in itself. We were designed for it. The question, however, is a matter of expectation and how or when do we legitimately obtain it. 

Psa 16:11  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

We find legitimate and true pleasure only in and through God. 

We are told that we, (along with this earth) are broken and in bondage. That in this life we will encounter thorns and thistles and ultimately death itself. Yet we are always shocked when our "heaven on earth" is rudely and often interrupted.

We must remember that Christ stepped out of the bliss of His eternal glory and communion with the Father into our broken world of pain. He did this to free us from our brokeness and pain so He could ultimately unit us with him in his new heaven and earth of bliss. This is our true and ultimate hope, not heaven on this present earth of brokenness and bondage. And this ultimate bliss is yet to come. But make no mistake, it is coming - and only because of Christ. 

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them.

They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.” - Rev 21:1-4

If we find ourselves angry at God for the pain and suffering of this life, it is due to our rebellious attempt to make life work independent of God and our refusal to recognize our dependence on Him for all things and the need to be restored and reunited to him in this life resulting in ultimate freedom from pain in the next life.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. 

In the world you will have tribulation. 

But take heart; I have overcome the world." - Christ. - Joh 16:33  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. 

Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." - Rom 8:18-25

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" - 1Co 2:9  

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:1-3

For a discussion on how we have the kingdom but not yet fully click here

Why life is a struggle

Though most put a good face on things we all regularly,  often quietly - sometimes loudly - experience pain. Everything we do involves struggle – emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

Everything is also running down? Things decay, we get sick, age, and eventually die. 

God’s warning to Adam was the day he rebelled from following God's direction, he would die i.e. by breaking off trust in God, he severed his union and relationship with Him and died spiritually, ultimately leading to physical death. This suggests if Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten from the forbidden tree, they would have lived indefinitely, apparently forever because of access to the tree of life. 

Though death is common – we all die – it is not normal. It is not a part of life as God originally designed it; its an ¹aberration.

Though pain is not supposed to be part of our existence, it is. Everything we do encounters resistance. We always experience thorns and thistles as God warned. We are also in bondage to our emptiness - lacking what we need to be filled. 

The entire world is in bondage as well due to our disconnect. 

So is the creation, at no fault of its own. This is why it is described as eagerly awaiting our complete reunion with God's children and the full expression of our original design to properly and fully cultivate and care for - vs exploit - the earth to the glory of God.

Why does death occur when we are not connected to God? We were created for life because we were created to be in an ongoing relationship with God, who is ²life. We were not designed to operate without Him. To do so is like a child in utero having the umbilical cord cut before the child is born. The child will still experience something of the mother's care and protection -- not unlike we now experience all the benefits of creation. But without the life force of the mom freely flowing to the child, the child will soon die, even in the womb. 

Without being connected to God who is the source of life, love, and all things we ³died spiritually and will eventually die in every other way over time - i.e. at some point - if we don't know him. We will totally disconnect not just from God but from all created things we now use and benefit from. 

God is the central and most vital aspect of who we are. Our being like God - in His image - isn’t simply some esoteric theological concept or theory. It has very practical implications. Our disconnection from God carries over and affects everything else about us emotionally, intellectually, and physically. 

Emotionally we are in a constant state of longing for something more, something missing, resulting in a longing, sometimes an ⁴aching to be filled. In our quietest moments when we are isolated from everyone -- think of solitary confinement or the movie "Cast Away"-- we become aware of how much we are emotionally and spiritually alone and in pain. 

Mentally we grow weary because nothing works long-term. Things always wear down, corrode or break and must be repaired. 

Physically we get sick and eventually die.

We long for love - or significance...a primary way to feel loved; also for rest (peace) from struggle and for boundless energy (power), so we never grow tired. This is why so many emotionally connect with superheroes. We vicariously live out our longings to feel powerful and significant through these characters on the big screen.

Isn’t it interesting how the best movies also have a love interest in them? There is something about us that longs for perfect love. When we see a “happy ever after” scenario played out in a relationship, our hearts are pulled in like a moth to light. This resonates deeply within us all. The most successful movies always have a love story intertwined. We smile inside when we see perfect love found and experienced. We all long, hunger, even ache for perfect love. And that is because we were designed for it. 

-- Longing for Perfect Love -- a poem

God alone moves and fills us

Without God filling, enlivening, and empowering us, we can not do what we are designed to do in the way we were designed to do it. We simply don’t function properly without being “plugged in” to our life source; the life source. 

We were designed to operate fully connected to God without obstruction or interruption. This is not our present experience. Even if we are His beloved children, with the condemnation of our rebellion completely removed, and perfect access to God's infinite love to empower us by His Spirit (of love) indwelling us, we still see and experience His love through a glass darkly because we now operate by faith, not by sight. We are not yet in the immediate, full, and unobscured presence of the God of bottomless love in all His glory.

Even at our best and in ideal circumstances, we struggle. When things go well we have a quiet (or loud) nagging fear they will stop going well. It is the nature of our present condition and the world we live in. As Christ said, "In this world, you will have tribulation/trouble/ pain..." But he also said, "Take heart for I have overcome the world..." which means we can too, and completely will one day in Him. 

We are told one day faith and hope will no longer be necessary, only love, because we will literally and physically be fully in the presence of the fullness of love and life i.e. God Himself. Then there will be no need for faith and hope. The fullness of joy, meaning, and purpose we have sought, believed in, and hoped for all our lives will be right in front of us, in us, and all around us, filling us up and overflowing out of us in praise and wonder. 

But until then, we will not be fully who we were designed to be. We cannot now because we were designed to engage and fully participate in the unfettered, unencumbered presence of God. Until we are completely and totally united with God – glorified -- and in His presence, everything's a struggle – which is why we are promised that one day there will be no more tears or pain. Because Christ overcame sin, pain, and death, if we are in him we too will overcome these. There is a resurrection for us because there was for Christ. If we are his and he is ours, this is our sure hope as His children.

Romans 8:
²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Everything is struggle - a poem

For a further discussion on how God uses evil and pain for our good click here. 
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¹For an additional discussion on why death is an aberration click here.

²God is life because God is love. For several posts on this click here.

³What is the essence of our spirit, our energy, our life? Since we are like God, who is Spirit, we must look to Him and examine what he’s like for the answer. The Spirit of God consists of the vibrant energy and passion (breath) of God within the relationship of love between the Father and Son. So much so we are told God is both Spirit and love. It doesn’t say God merely has these attributes but that he is these. These are the essence of His being. The relationship of the Father and Son is one of passion, joy, delight, love, and adoration the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father. This is a relationship that recognizes and acknowledges the infinite beauty and worth of the other and the delight they experience in union with each other. 

It is this relationship of adoration, joy, and glory we too were designed to partake in. This is why we long for love, recognition, meaning, a sense of significance, etc. We were created to receive adoration, joy, and glory in and through God and reflect these back to Him, who is the source, in the very same way the Father and Son relect these back and forth to each other. This is the essence of the Life, Spirit and Love of God the Father and Son, but of us as well because we are like God, the most significant of all. We are designed to be in relationship with Him. Without being connected to this relationship of adoration, joy, and glory between the Father and Son, in, by, and through the Spirit, we are now absent these while at the same time still needing them to fully be who we were designed to be. We still need to adore and be adored; to glory in God’s infinite worth and be gloried in it i.e. adored and cherished. We are designed to find infinite joy in God and experience his infinite joy -- Spirit -- in us in the exact same way this occurs between the Father and the Son. This is the never-ending mode we were created for; a state of perpetual, infinite bliss because this is who God is and we are like Him. 

What kind of being is it that never sleeps or grows tired and weary?

Isa 40:25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

What energizes God is the joy, adoration, and glory that flows – via the Spirit – between the Father and Son. This Spirit of joy, adoration, and glory never wanes or stops, therefore neither does God. When we are fully plugged into this God and this life, neither do we nor will we throughout eternity. We will be in a constant and ever-growing state of bliss because God is in a constant state of bliss. 

When God rested on the seventh day from creating, it simply means he finished creation, not because he was tired but because he was done. Everything was completed, finished.

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb (lamp being the instrument through or by which the light/glory is displayed). 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there (i.e. the Son will always be present).

We simply can’t relate to never being tired. But this is who we were created to be. The fact that God warned that the day man rebelled he would die, tells us death was not part of man’s original design. Growing weary and tired, in constant need of rest is part of the fall. Something within us isn’t quite right. We are always running down, in need of being recharged. We are incomplete, unplugged and disconnected. As a result, we are always in need of being emotionally, mentally and physically recharged. Not unlike what happens with a computer. Every so often they must be shut off so things can reset. 

In eternity, our operating system will be flawless and never in need of being turned off or reset. We will run perfectly because we will be reconnected again with the ultimate and perfect source of life and love. God will be our infinite power supply and He never runs down.

Though we will never grow tired we will continue to be physically strengthened by food. Scripture seems to indicate we will eat not just for enjoyment but nourishment. Food was part of the experience of Adam and Eve before their rebellion. Christ also ate after the resurrection. Though our bodies will be glorified we are still physical and still part of creation i.e. still dependent on sustenance both spiritually – which will be Christ – and physically. 

⁵The true nature of our longing/wanting is obscured and also numbed to a great extent. This is why the scripture describes our being restored to God as having hearts of stone being replaced with hearts of flesh. Stone feels nothing, flesh feels everything. For a further discussion on this and the anatomy of pain click here.