Life is hard. It’s part of being a human on Earth.
The Bible tells us that we will have troubles (John 16:33) and we will struggle to earn a living from this earth, everything we earn will be by the sweat of our brow (Genesis 3:17-19). So what do we do in response to the hardships of life? We flee to a refuge, one that helps us in our difficulty. That refuge will either be God or a thousand other things we try to replace Him with (Psalm 20:7-9).
In our world there are so many distractions we can amuse ourselves with, and these amusements can be used to bring God glory, but oftentimes we end up misusing them as a refuge, an escape! This misuse often leads to escapism. Escapism is our attempt to avoid difficulties in life through a refuge of our own making, rather than facing what we are supposed to do in a moment or situation head-on. Before we move into unpacking escapism, let’s stop and reflect on the difference between escapism and rest. To fully understand rest, we need to start with the reason rest is important and Biblical. We were created to rest, because we were created to work (even before the fall of man)!
Genesis 2:4b-9, 15 details the creation of man. In v 4b-5 we learn, “When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.” In verse 15, after the creation of man and man being placed in the Garden of Eden we see this repeated again when it says, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.”
God designed us as His image bearers, meant to use our abilities to help arrange, care for, and cultivate this world in a way that honors Him. He designed us to use our abilities to help arrange, care for, and cultivate this world in a way that honors Him. Not only did God design us to work, He designed us to delight in our work (Ecclesiastes 2:24; Proverbs 12:14).
Working hard feels good, and it’s supposed to be that way! In order to keep doing the work God has created us for, we must also honor the calling (from Him) to rest, to recharge so that we might return, afresh, to work. In Jeremy Pierre’s discussion on escapism, titled “Going to Your Happy Place - The Danger of Escapism,” he defines rest in the following way. “Rest is the intentional ceasing from work, that’s an act of trust in God. It is part of committing your work to Him.” Rest doesn’t veer away from the purpose of our life; it enables us to carry out that purpose with endurance and intentionality. Am I saying you can never watch your favorite show ever again because it’s a “bad” way to escape? No! It all comes down to our motivation for watching the show or whatever escape we choose.
Unfortunately, life on this side of Heaven will always include suffering. In response to this we will always seek refuge in something. We must ask ourselves, am I doing _____ because I am trying to avoid or distract myself from something, or am I taking a break (that doesn’t distract from my purpose) so that I might continue to carry out the call God has placed on my life?
Or, perhaps even more telling would be asking ourselves the question: do I value my own comfort more than I value doing the things that honor God? Let’s be honest, sometimes escaping to the things of this world seems easier. It’s always going to hold a certain appeal for us to escape to things that don’t require a lot from us. With escapism, our comfort, enjoyment, and relief become our primary driving force, and are combating against our calling from God.
Revelation 21 teaches us all about our secure future in Christ Jesus (for those who believe in and follow Him). This passage gives us hope to face anything, because we know God is in us and because of that we can see life through the perspective that one day there will be no more pain! '“Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”'
Because Jesus lives, we can face this very moment, and every single moment after knowing that there is a day waiting for us where there will be no more suffering. Just as Jesus endured death on a cross, we can endure the hardships and mundane realities of life for the joy set before us. Hebrews 12:1-3 teaches us how we can be successful in our action plan of getting rid of our old habits of escaping our troubles. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up."
We cannot fight the temptation to seek refuge in the things of this world without help. It’s our nature to avoid things that make us uncomfortable by doing things that make us happy, are easy, and don’t require a lot of us. But instant gratification and relief rarely last, and it only puts off addressing our daily tasks or problems. Inviting people into our lives can be a great way to hold us accountable when the stressors of life inevitably come.
How do we know if a person is going to be a good fit for holding us accountable? The person holding you accountable should:
love and follow Jesus
know the truth from God’s Word
have frequent access to your life
be unafraid to ask you the hard questions about your life
be encouraging and truthful
neither condone nor condemn your behavior, but rather spur you on towards God’s best for you
Pray
God, I love You. Thank You for being my refuge, my great escape. Show me, Father, places in my life where I turn to the world for answers first. Help me train myself to seek You right away when any stressors, problems, conflicts, etc. invade my day. God, open my eyes to areas in my life that I try to avoid because it’s too hard to face. God, would You give me clarity in every situation, that I may know how to honor You and become more like You. Teach me, Lord, what it looks like for me to rest with and in You! In Jesus’ name, amen.
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