Written by: Ajabeyang Amin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The short answer is “I don’t know but it will give you inner peace!” Allow me to explain myself…
Disclaimer: This article is written from a Christian perspective. Read at your own risk!
It is common for many of us to seek God when we are in desperate situations, when we feel hopeless, lost, or troubled. Sometimes when we are seeking and searching for help, it can seem like God is not hearing us. Other times, our well-intentioned friends, family, and members from our church, organization, or support group could tell us we are not praying hard enough or staying close enough to God, hence it’s our fault that we are still sick or still struggling. In this article, I wrote that pursuing a relationship with God is what we truly want above pursuing religion, wealth, fame, power, career, and any other relationship.
But let’s get something straight, pursuing a relationship with God will not change our life the way we might think. We may not get rich, we may not find that special someone, we may not get the job we like, and we may not even get healed. And you ask, then what’s the point? It is for our eyes to be opened so that we can live in peace and love regardless of our situation. And ultimately so that we can make it to heaven for eternity.
Let’s face it, Jesus, the Son of God, was not wealthy nor famous while on earth. Neither did he have a thriving career nor friends that loved him unconditionally. He suffered while on earth, not only on the day he was crucified on the cross, but throughout his life. Think about it, he lost a parent when he was a child, and he was a carpenter raised by a single mom. I am sure they had periods when life was tough financially. He experienced everyday problems like you and I during a period in history when there weren’t many earthly comforts. Nevertheless, he lived a life worth living, a life in relationship with God, a life that pleased God. He lived a perfect life. What more of us? How do we who are imperfect and not always connected with God, think having a relationship with God will fix everything? Where did we come up with the idea that when we have a relationship with God, we will always feel good? That’s not how it was for Jesus. Why would it be that way for us?
Why pursue a relationship with God?
I’m sure by now you have gotten that God does not promise a life free from suffering. He does not say, “follow me and your life on earth will be all good.” We know people who were close to God such as Job, David, Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, and Jesus who suffered, felt depressed, and were even suicidal. Actually, all the apostles except Judas who took his own life and John who wrote the book of Revelation, were martyred. That means they suffered and died for their faith because they refused to renounce Jesus. We thank God that many of us can openly express our faith without being persecuted for it, but in many parts of the world, people continue to be persecuted and killed because of their faith.
(Oh my! So far, I’m really not making a good case to follow Jesus. I need to get us feeling good.)
My main point is that the goal is not for us to feel good. However, pursuing a relationship with God is still worth it because God’s primary concern is about our souls. Have you seen people who are extremely wealthy and appear to have everything they ever wanted and are still miserable? We’ve seen famous beloved actors and celebrities take their own lives. Why? Because at the end of the day, our earthly comforts don’t bring us the peace that we truly desire. Our deepest desire points to something deeper within us. Our deepest desire points to being loved unconditionally no matter how much of a mess we are. Our deepest desire points to Jesus who did just that for us.
Francis Chan made this illustration once about how our lives on earth are so short as compared to eternity. He took a long rope and painted the tip of it red and said our lives on earth are as short as the tip while our eternity is the rest of the rope, thus we should be more concerned about our eternity. I couldn’t agree more. God is concerned about my whole life especially the rest of my life. Hence why he allowed Jesus to go through life on earth and die the way he did. God was thinking of us!
What will pursuing a relationship with God do for you?
Words used to describe God are sovereign (supreme ruler), powerful (Psalm 147:5), merciful, gracious (Psalm 103:8), unchanging (Malachi 3:6), loving (1 John 4:8) and many more.
Although life will be hard sometimes, He does promise a life where he takes care of you amid the suffering. God has made promises to those who follow him. He says:
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” Isaiah 43:1-2
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah 33:3
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 4:4-7
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived (imagined) what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
So why follow without guarantee that your life will get better? To build faith, to get forgiveness, mercy, grace, security, compassion, comfort, hope, love, and eternal salvation. There’s a certainty that comes with knowing where you came from, why you are here, and where you are going. You walk a little more confidently because you believe God is good and bigger than any earthly problems you can experience. The troubles around may shake you, but you come back to God, and he comforts you. He reminds you that he is in control of this world and he has a good plan for it. You feel at peace when you go to bed because you know that there is a higher power watching over everything. You feel safe knowing that you are never alone.
Will pursuing a relationship with God make you feel better? It will strengthen you, increase your faith, change your perspective to view your pain differently, and make you feel unconditionally loved. This transformation from the inside out is what gets you to feel better because you will know that this earthly pain is temporal but true freedom and peace are eternal.
For more on how to develop a relationship with God, read this article.
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Ajabeyang Amin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Ajabeyang Amin is a psychologist, Christian counselor, and blogger. She founded the blog, African Mind Healer where she writes on mental health, culture, and faith. She is dedicated to helping people heal from their traumas, get unstuck from their past, blossom to authenticity, and do the things they are called to do. She has helped multiple individuals and couples work through various life challenges. She is inspired by her faith, her clients, her experiences living in multiple countries (Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, France, El-Salvador) and 5 U.S. states, and by being a highly sensitive person. She holds a PsyD in counseling psychology from Northwest University, an MPH from University of Michigan, and a BS from Penn State University. As you read her writing, her unique background and perspective might just inspire you to take a pause and think about your life.
