Are You a Christian … and Miserable?

I'm not sure how much of this came through in the interview, but I very much enjoyed last week's Q&A with Andrew Farley, author of The Naked Gospel. While I certainly didn't agree with everything Farley said, he offered up some honest and insightful thoughts about Christians today—stuff that many people might prefer to ignore or gloss over. (If you didn't get a chance to read the interview, you can check it out here.)

I was most interested in his account of the crisis of faith he had in college. At the time, he was obsessed with his performance as a Christian and spent hours every day reading the Bible and sharing his faith. He said he "would not have wished his faith on anyone" and that, if he had been honest, his sales pitch to nonbelievers would have been, "Would you like to be a Christian and be miserable like me?"

I've seen a lot of Christians in my life who, if they'd been honest, would have been able to say exactly the same thing. I've even had a few seasons in my life in which I might have said it.

The Christian life can be arduous and challenging. Paul (in 1 Thessalonians 1) and James (in James 1) talk about the many trials we will face in life and how they will build perseverance and character. They tell us we will be persecuted. Trials and tests can be really, really hard. No matter how strong your faith is, these things, by nature, will make life tough for you.

In many other parts of the New Testament, Paul talks about how we have to put off our old self and no longer be slaves to sin. The battle with sin becomes a burden and a hopelessly repeating cycle for some believers. Sin is a reality that Christians have to deal with for life, and for many it can make them feel downright miserable.

Another thing that I've seen cause Christians to be miserable is the "spiritual face" that many of us have to put up when we go to church or meet with other Christians. All of us feel the pressure of being viewed as strong believers, but sometimes putting up false pretenses about our lives that make everything seem great and dandy can kill us. I've seen many friends struggle greatly with this issue.

As men, one of our most powerful and challenging tools is honesty and accountability. If we can find those qualities within in a safe place among friends we can trust, we will learn there is almost nothing more valuable to our walks with the Lord.

The flip side to all of this, of course, is that a true understanding of God's grace and the joy found in Jesus can overcome every season of doubt or depression that we have. Whenever I'm feeling the burden of the Christian walk, or if my faith starts to feel miserable, I try to come back to the face of Jesus. Regardless of anything else, when I'm alone with Him, I know that He loves me, that He cares for me and that His grace is sufficient for me.

I hope everyone who is struggling or feeling miserable can find that grace and peace. One resource I might recommend, if you are feeling that way, is John Piper's book Desiring God. What a profound understanding of joy.