today's devo hits home

"I sometimes wonder why I am so easily frustrated, so quick to complain. My computer breaks down.. (the driver in front of me won't move fast enough) my car won't start. Admittedly these are petty annoyances. But they feel so constant, like a stone in my shoe that I can't shake out. I tell myself my outsized response to such things is not merely a symptom of immaturity but a sign that I may be suffering from a hidden condition. I call it paradisus absconditus, otherwise known as the "paradise lost syndrome." 

Let me explain. You may have heard of something called "phantom limb syndrome," a condition in which a person feels sensation in an amputated limb. Maybe paradise lost syndrome works in a similar way. My theory is this - that whether or not we know it, each of us has some kind of primeval memory of paradise. We have an instinct that tells us we belong there (paradise- our intended state of being), and when that instinct is thwarted, as it always is, we feel frustrated, cheated, and disappointed. Everyday life contradicts our secret or not-so-secret belief that we were meant to live as the fairy tales tell us - happily ever after. And happily ever after often involves our longing for the perfect relationship, one guaranteed to make us happy. 

Our instinct for paradise will serve us well if it leads to the realization that our true happiness lies neither in perfect conditions nor in finding the perfect relationship here on earth. Instead, it lies in restoring the most important relationship we will ever have, one fractured in Eden and one whose brokenness has spread to every other relationship in our lives. 

This is why the Bible is best understood, neither as a book of rules nor as a compendium of wisdom, but as a love story, prolonged and painful but one that ends on a tremendous note of joy with the greatest of all celebrations: the wedding feast of the Lamb. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the Bridegroom whom the church awaits with longing. He is the promise we hope for, the purpose for which we were made. He is the One who is able to deal with our brokenness, to heal our sin, and to woo us back to Himself through his powerful, self-sacrificing love. He is the paradise we seek." - excerpt from chapter 19: Bridegroom, Husband, in Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

~Revelation 19:6-9