A Scripture devotional can be so powerful, but where do we begin? Getting started reading the Bible is tricky… so we’ve compiled verse reflections like this one with a Bible verse for today to help us connect with God in everyday moments.

Christianity Isn’t Always Happiness

If you feel like Christianity is all pie-in-the-sky happy, just take a look at Ecclesiastes. You’ll see quickly that Christianity isn’t always happiness.
Check out this devo by @danielryanday:

Ecclesiastes 2:20-21 NRSV
“So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.”

Written by Daniel Ryan Day

I drive a 16-year-old red truck that’s starting to show some wear and tear. Several times now, I’ve run out of gas with my gauge saying I have “65 miles to go ‘til empty.” I now carry a 5-gallon container of gas with me just in case the gauge gets worse, and I run out of gas again. An accurate gas gauge is a really helpful thing, and as much as I love to be an optimist, it would be nice to know when the tank truly is half empty.

Oftentimes, the Bible is quoted from the perspective of an optimist—the tank is half full. Look at the wisdom book of Proverbs that’s filled with beautiful statements about how people who follow God often experience the good life has to offer.

Thankfully, there’s also a wisdom book in the Bible that lets us know life isn’t always happy optimism. The author of Ecclesiastes is kind of a pessimist, actually—or maybe a “realist.”

Where Proverbs says something wonderful about wisdom filling a house with “precious and pleasant riches” (Prov. 24:3-4), Ecclesiastes says, “Really? Are you sure? Because I’ve seen people who are pretty wise, and they are more miserable than those who don’t know any better” (paraphrase of Ecc. 1:18).

Why It Matters

If you’ve ever thought Christianity feels irrelevant and unrealistic because it’s so pie-in-the-sky happy all the time, know that Christianity admits life can suck too! Having a book in the Bible that reminds us of broken realities is helpful because not only does it let us know our faith deals with real issues, but it also brings us comfort that even the bad things are “normal.” And we need to know that when bad stuff happens, it doesn’t surprise God—he’s actually in the suckiness with us.

We believe that simple devotions like this verse reflection help us to connect with God, so we’ve curated a whole stash of short Christian devotions. Check them out here!