Two Christian extremes on suffering and the biblical balance

There are two schools of thought in Christianity today.

The first is “blab it and grab it”: God wants you rich, healthy, prosperous and happy, all the time. Its focus is faith turned into entitlement. We're children of God, so blessing is our birthright.

The second leans the other way. Echoing thinkers like Kierkegaard, it says life is suffering and your job is to find your place in it.

Scripture holds a balance between the two. God doesn't only give blessings, and He showed us what happens when someone has nothing but blessings.

King Solomon didn't ask for riches or power. He asked for wisdom, and God gave him wealth and honor on top of it. But abundance without restraint led him to 700 wives and 300 concubines, and his foreign wives turned his heart toward their gods. He built high places for Chemosh and Molech, the god whose worship involved making children “pass through the fire,” burning them alive (1 Kings 11).

How could the wisest man who had ever lived fall that far? He started out great. But if life is one long blessing club, you'll probably drift down Solomon's road too, and you're probably not as wise as Solomon.

Here's the good news: we have the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times, the Spirit came on certain people for certain tasks. Today, the Spirit lives in every believer, all the time. What a time to be alive! We can look back on all of history, including the years Christ walked the earth, and every day brings us closer to His return.

Suffering has a purpose. It lets us relate to what Christ suffered for us.

Think of a good coach or a hard workout: no pain, no gain. On the bench press, you push until you can barely lift another ounce. You tear the muscle down so it can grow back stronger. Athletes understand this. Actors rehearse endlessly for opening night. So why do we as Christians expect everything handed to us on a silver platter?

That doesn't mean seeking out suffering for its own sake. It's fine to work, earn, enjoy friends and pursue happiness. But when suffering comes, don't automatically assume it's the devil. Sometimes God allows hard things to make us stronger, so we don't end up like Solomon in the end.

So, embrace your blessings while they last and embrace your suffering while it lasts. Then enjoy the mix of both that God gives each of us.