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“Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things, and so much for the mocking trifles of time and space.” Charles H. Spurgeon
March 7th , 2010
Recently, Forbes magazine released their latest list of the ten most miserable cities in America. This year the number one worst city to live in was Cleveland. It wasn’t exactly earth shattering news. Cleveland has been dubbed “the mistake on the lake” for decades. According to the article, “Misery was on the rise around the country last year. Sure the stock market was up big, but so were unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy filings. Meanwhile housing prices, the U.S. dollar and approval ratings for Congress continued their downward spiral.”
Anyone who despises Chicago won’t be surprised to learn that the Windy City made the list at #10. What caught my attention though was that word “misery.” Sure Chicago and much of the Midwest are colder and snowier in the winter than I’d like. The cost of living is higher than some places. Traffic can be bad in Chicago and they don’t have a great record in recent years, for the most part, with their sports teams; but miserable?
There is also a lot to love about Chicago. There are museums, art, culture, pro sports, great restaurants, and neighborhoods with cultural flavor. They have one of the most beautiful lakefronts in the country, and several of the tallest buildings in the world. It’s not a perfect city, of course, but I certainly wouldn’t call it miserable.
I took a more serious look at the list. Several cities made it because unemployment was particularly high there. (Where is it not?) Others had high crime rates. For some, it was home foreclosures that got them on the list. The reasons for including Chicago, according to Forbes, were their long commutes and sales tax (the highest in the nation). Yet, I don’t know; I don’t exactly call that misery. One city, believe it or not, made the list because their football team is 6-42 over the last three years. It strikes me that maybe; just maybe, the editors at Forbes are a little fuzzy on the concept of misery. I mean, where did we get the idea that we’re entitled to a certain amount of luxury, comfort, and affluence, and that we should call its absence something like “misery”?
Forbes’ list could be more accurately called “The Ten Most Inconvenient Cities in the Country” or “The Ten Most Annoying Cities” or the “Ten Most Difficult Cities.” Misery, though – that’s a different thing. Misery is Port-au-Prince after the earthquake. Misery is the Ninth Ward after Katrina. Misery is children orphaned by war. Misery is crushing poverty, hunger, and disease. Misery is Afghanistan under the Taliban. The fact is that few of us have ever actually experienced true misery; at least not for very long.
We do though find several Bible heroes who truly endured misery. Most of the leaders in the early church did. Though the Apostle Paul was falsely imprisoned, he wrote what we know as “the letter of joy,” Philippians. Over and over again he commands believers “to rejoice, be joyful, to be glad.” Yet, if anyone had a reason to be miserable, it was Paul. James encourages us to rejoice in trials, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). Peter writes of being filled “with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). Jude and John both write of “great joy.”
From a human perspective, if any group should have immersed themselves in a “misery index,” it was those early believers. Instead they were filled with joy. The same power that gave them that inner joy is available to us. We are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit that they were. To be candid, a Christian who is constantly complaining, unhappy and a missionary of misery should be a spiritual oddity. One of our traits that attract unbelievers to the Gospel is a joyful Christian. Not because our life, like those in the early church, is free of difficulties and trials, not because we have smooth sailing but because we have an inner joy that cannot be squelched by people or circumstances...or just the “stuff” of this life.
As people who maybe feel that misery – or even discomfort or inconvenience – is unendurable, we need to discover again what those early Christians discovered. A person can live with misery – real misery, now – if he/she depends on the Lord and lets the Spirit’s power flow through them and lets Him produce joy in their lives, even in the midst of adversity. God’s people have not historically expected to suffer less than others. Many times and places in history, the faithful have found themselves even suffering more – and sometimes even because of their faith. And while God’s people might complain and cry out, like anyone else, we follow in a long line of people who have trusted in God in their suffering. We follow in a long line of people who believe and find comfort in the conviction that God sees and hears, that He doesn’t ignore the suffering of the faithful. We follow in a long line of people, who believe that He loves his people, rewards their faithfulness, and will in His time vindicate their trust and redeem their pain.
That’s the essence of the Gospel that God has moved heaven and earth already to rescue us from true misery, dying in our sins. That He gave us His Son so that we could look forward to a joy that will never be taken away.
We need to hear those who label cold, snow, snarled traffic, poor sports teams, and high sales tax as “misery.” We need to know that wherever we live, whether it’s in a city on the “most miserable” list or even in real misery, that our God hears and sees and that nothing will come between us and His love for us. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He has given us hope of life, peace, and glory – and insured that, for those who trust Him, even misery will not last and joy will be eternal. So, wherever you live, remember that God hears and sees what you’re going through. Remember the cross, remember the empty tomb, and know that He loves you and that He will one day take away misery and wipe away tears forever. Until then, trust Him, be faithful to Him, and live as a witness to His grace. That will confuse pagans, particularly the editors at Forbes.