100% Pleasant

The other week I wrote about the sparrow that was building a nest in one of my ferns. As I’ve grown older I’ve come to appreciate birds in a whole new way. They are such lively little creatures, bringing both music and color to our world.

I really enjoyed watching that mother bringing her babies food and doing her best to protect them. One morning I came out to find my porch full of…dirt. Yep, the baby birdies were growing and they were doing what all birds do.

That is the one thing I will say about birds. If you have them, then you will have the dirt that goes with them. At least if your porches and outdoor furniture and anything else sit near trees and other places birds like to land.

As I scrubbed off that porch I had to think about how life is like that. You can’t have the good without the bad. If you have birds around, then you also have that inevitable disadvantage. If you have kids, the joy comes with both work and frustration. If you have a spouse, you get their good side and their bad side. It’s an imperfect world and this principle is woven throughout our lives, isn’t it?

It’s true for any relationship and for any job. It’s true for our hobbies and for our past times. Life just doesn’t come as 100% pleasant.

It does seem as if we, in our culture, are searching for 100% pleasant, however.

And so we do all we can to make this happen. Can you think of things you do that make your life more pleasant or comfortable in the moment? Oftentimes these things bring unpleasantness in the future.

For example, it is unpleasant to discipline children in the moment. But to not to discipline them will most likely yield mountains of heartbreak and unpleasantness later on. It is also unpleasant to have the hard conversations with our spouse. But to let the bitterness and frustration grow will only grow the unpleasantness, until many times that marriage is destroyed. It is unpleasant to say no to unhealthy food or to get up off the couch to exercise, but that, too, yields its inevitable results.

Sometimes we just have to do the hard thing. We have to do the unpleasant thing. The unpleasant often brings the pleasant. We can’t have one without the other. It’s just how it is in this world.

It’s hard to imagine living in the Garden of Eden where this was just not the case. The utopia we long for was experienced by Adam and Eve for just a little while.

The awesome thing to remember is that we, if we are God’s own redeemed child, have that to look forward to.

I love this passage from the book of Revelation—

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1-5)

And this one—

And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. (Revelation 22:1-6)

What a reminder that one day we will only experience the good and the perfect! This world is not our home and it is just temporary. Satan and sin will not reign forever. God’s words are faithful and true.

“100% Pleasant” will be our portion one day. God says in the Psalms that at His right hand are “pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Just think about that. We get a little taste of that here on earth when we are saved by faith in Christ and go on to live for Him. But how magnificent to think that our future in glory will be filled with pleasure, with both sin and sorrow gone forever!

In the meantime, let’s press on and work through the unpleasant and the hard. Let’s recognize that in order to fulfill our calling—whether it be parent, spouse, employee, adult child, church member, or whatever God has called us to do—will require diligence and patience and, yes, sometimes sorrow. But along with all of these usually comes a large portion of joy. And, for that, may we be grateful.