Misery...

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. James 5:1-6 

Dictionary.com defines the word Misery as: 
1.     wretchedness of condition or circumstances.
2.     distress or suffering caused by need, privation, or poverty.
3.     great mental or emotional distress; extreme unhappiness.
4.     a cause or source of distress.

I was watching some news clips and videos about the earth quake in Haiti the other day. One of CNN news reporters who has gone back and forth from Haiti since the 2nd day of the tragedy used the word "Misery", "The horror is gone but now they are in Misery", or something of that sort. For some reason that word just caught my attention. I started to ask myself have I ever truly been miserable? I can't really say that I have. I can say that I've been uncomfortable, that I've been upset or in pain, but I can't ever say that I was completely miserable.

I think a lot of times we take the words way too lightly, but thats a whole blog in itself. But I wonder what its really like to be miserable. In James the word misery is used as well in a description of the wrath that is going to come on the corrupt wealthy people. In this description of what misery is to come to them James describes the loss of all their wealth, loss of their fine clothes, and the corrosion of all their fine metals. I wonder if this is true misery. To have lost all.

But then what does misery mean for Christians? Can we ever be miserable? Wealth and physical loss should be considered struggles and discipline rather than misery. Then what is misery for us? I think for us misery is the loss of just one thing, the most important thing. Misery is the loss of Jesus Christ. The moment when we run so far from Christ and we rebel so much from Christ that he is so distant, he even turns his back on us. We can ask "How can God turn his back on his?!?!" but don't we realize? Our God cannot tolerate sin in our lives. Their are many times in the Bible when the Israelites or God's people rebel so harshly and sin so blatantly that it says God has turned his back on them.

I think this is misery. This is where there is no hope for us. This is where our blessings are cut short. This is where salvation doesn't seem tangible. That the source of our peace. The source of our love. The source of our happiness is gone because of our sin.

I hope and pray for the people of Haiti. That yes they may have lost everything physical and worldly but that they still have God. That they would in this miserable situation would meet God and rest in Him. I hope that for all of us we see how great we have it and how much blessings we received and that in all things we are gracious and thankful before God really shows us what misery is about.