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It Don’t Come Easy

The philosopher Ringo Starr once said, “If you want to sing the blues, you’ve got to pay your dues, because you know it don’t come easy”. This insightful observation has been expanded upon by numerous others. Many who are hostile to Christianity often declare that there is no God based on their observation of bad things, like sickness, injustice, and difficulty of life.

However, if we examine the many examples throughout history of how humans behave when things are easy like the Roman emperors, the French aristocracy, tribal chieftains, and even warlords, it seems to show the debilitating effects of prosperity, comfort, and ease. It would seem that we are all inclined to become debased, selfish, lazy, and arrogant if given half a chance.

If we consider the curse upon the earth that resulted from Adam’s sin, we can see that a difficult life is more an act of kindness rather than a punishment. When humans chose to turn their back on God and sought what they wanted instead, they set a path towards individual selfishness that would place each person in conflict with others.

Our limited lifespan, susceptibility to illness and aging, and our need for food, clothing, and shelter create an environment where we have to depend on each other and God. The difficulties built into our fallen world were dramatically reduced with the baby boom generation which was raised with a view towards consumerism resulting in the pursuit of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, which became a dominant philosophy right through to today. Like the Roman emperors of old, many today have found no reason to move beyond the selfishness of childhood regardless of their physical age.

Consider raising children. This is a hard job. It is even more difficult when it is done right. The desire to avoid this difficulty has contributed to millions of surgical abortions and perhaps billions of chemical abortions with oral contraceptives. Those children that do survive are often abandoned by their parents to be raised by TV and pattern themselves to adopt the prevailing culture of the world, that of the pursuit of comfort, ease, and prosperity.

The bible tells of a future world ruler called the antichrist who will enslave the world to the point where no one will be allowed to buy or sell anything without his mark. This will seem a small price to pay for those who are slaves to their comforts and could not even imagine a life of hardship or difficulty.

Prosperity is a false light. It becomes a substitute for God. The rich young ruler could not follow Jesus because he only saw his riches as that which would provide for him. People around the world are flocking to the US and Europe mostly because of the intensity of desire to have things easier. They, like previous generations, see this prosperity as a blessing for their children. They fail to recognize that prosperity is often a curse because it fuels the selfishness of our hearts and blinds us to our need for a Savior.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? - Matthew 8:36

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