And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15)

Life Has Problems

Everyone experiences problems. Norman Vincent Peale tells of a time he was walking down the street in New York City when he ran into an old friend, George. “Norman, I’m fed up,” George announced. “I have nothing but problems, problems, problems. I’d give you $5,000 right now if you could get rid of all my problems.” Norman ruminated for a minute and then replied, “Just yesterday, I was in a place where there were a lot of people with no problems. Would you like to go?” George pounced on the offer. “Good,” Peale answered. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll take you to the Westchester cemetery. The only people who don’t have problems are dead.”

Life can be challenging because it is filled with problems. There are bills to pay and never enough money. Things constantly break down or fail to function as they are designed. People disappoint. Promises made are not kept. Age and health make it hard to enjoy life. If it’s not one thing, it will be something else. Murphy seems to be in charge of running the world, as Murphy’s Law is everywhere. Sometimes, it feels as if the only people without problems are the ones in the cemetery. That’s not quite the answer, but it raises an interesting question.

Job opined, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). How true. Life can be a lot of trouble and problems. For those who are of the living, life is a challenge with all the problems that rule the day, but God has not left His creation without hope. It must be understood that the source of problems inherently comes from the consequence of sin. A woman enduring pain in childbirth can go back to the Garden of Eden for the cause. God cursed the ground on behalf of the man and stated that he would work by the sweat of his brow. Disease, natural disasters, and death came as a result of man losing the Garden of Eden. Life has problems because man disobeyed God.

The hope in life is not to remove the problems but to understand how to cope with life’s challenges. God has never promised life to be a bed of roses and comfort. Through the knowledge of God’s word, life’s problems can be understood in the light of God’s grace. Pain and suffering fill the world, but God helps the grieving heart live. Many of life’s problems (debt, for example) come from mistakes made by covetous hearts drowning them in the crushing burden of financial worries.

Jesus told the disciples in the mountain sermon to put God first and not worry so much about food and clothing. Those things should not be primary in life. They are a part of life, but God must be the greater part in finding joy and happiness. So much of our unhappiness is self-induced. Life may have problems, but the answer to our problems is what God has given us in His Word. He made us, and He knows what we need. If we trust Him for our answers, our problems may not disappear, but we can endure the trials of life with a better spirit. God has promised to give us all we need. We need to believe He is able and willing to fulfill His promise. Live for Jesus. Trust in God.