A Purpose for the Pain: Why Earthly Pleasures Don't Entice Me

Posted on January 6th, 2026

I've been to the edge of death and back. I was told I shouldn't be here, that my story was supposed to end. But God had other plans. He kept me alive, and in that miraculous survival, I was given two of the most profound gifts a person can receive: a reason and a purpose for the pain, and a renewed reason to live.

How could fleeting earthly pleasures ever entice me now?

After staring into the face of my own mortality, the temporary highs and distractions of this world have lost their appeal. The things that once seemed so important—material possessions, social status, or fleeting moments of validation—now feel hollow. They are like dust motes in the light of an eternal truth I was given a glimpse of. My suffering, which once felt like a meaningless punishment, was transformed into a powerful testimony. My pain was not in vain; it was a tool God used to refine me, to bring me closer to Him, and to prepare me for a purpose I couldn't see before.

Leaning on God at Your Lowest

It's a familiar tactic of the enemy: to whisper in your ear at your weakest moments, telling you that God has abandoned you. Satan wants you to abandon God at your lowest moments. He wants you to believe that your suffering is a sign of your worthlessness or a punishment from a cruel God. He offers quick fixes and false comforts, urging you to turn away from the very source of your strength.

But the Bible shows a different story entirely. From Job, who lost everything but held fast to his faith, to David, who cried out to God in the depths of despair, the scriptures are filled with stories of deliverance. God delivers his people when they lean on Him during those times.

My own story is a small testament to this truth. When I had nothing left—no strength, no hope, and no reason to believe I'd survive—all I had was my faith. And that's when God stepped in. He didn't promise the pain would disappear, but He promised to be with me through it. He turned what was meant to break me into the very foundation of my new life.

So when the world offers its empty promises of happiness, I simply remember the miracle I've already been given. My life is a living testament to a God who doesn’t just save us, but gives our suffering meaning. And that, more than any earthly pleasure, is a reason to live.