"For everything God
created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
thanksgiving." 1 Timothy 4:4
"Seize life! Eat bread
with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in
your pleasure!
Dress festively every
morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse
you love.
Each and every day of your
precarious life. Each day is God's gift.
It's all you get in exchange
for the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it!"
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 (MSG)
Have you ever thought about
the place of pleasure in modern life? For many, pleasure has become the whole
theme of daily living. These days, if it isn't fun and if it isn't pleasurable
then we don't want to do it. We even expect our daily work to be pleasurable.
In our postindustrial society, our survival needs are met. We have more leisure
time and more money to spend on it than past generations. And while it seems
like we are busier than ever and more in debt than ever, quite often we are
spending that time and money chasing pleasure.
When we experience pleasure
there is a part of us that thinks, "Yes! This is what I was made
for." Even if you haven't experienced much pleasure in your life, you've
experienced enough to know that you want more. Thus begins the quest for the
elusive narcotic of pleasure in whatever form most pleases us—food, sex, mind
altering substances, entertainment, and more. And when we pursue pleasure over
anything else, the end result is always pain in the form of separation from God
and from others.
Pleasure has this unique
trait: the more intensely you chase it, the less likely you are to catch it.
Food becomes insatiable hunger; sex becomes shame; entertainment becomes
restless boredom; substances become addiction. Instead of inspiring our bored
and apathetic existence, the god of pleasure makes us even more that way. When
pleasure replaces God we are left constantly wanting more and never being
filled.
