Gluttons For Punishment

In God's plan of Happiness, it is necessary for us to taste the bitter so that we may know and understand and have context for the good. The problem is that some of us do a little more than just taste the bitter. Sometimes we seize the bitter and hold on for dear life. We bathe in it, wallow in it, drown in it, choke on it. Rather than merely tasting the bitter when necessary we become gluttons for punishment. It is true that the path of happiness may occasionally require us to drink from the bitter cup, but even Jesus Himself didn't ask for a refill. Our Savior bore our pain so that we would only have to taste the bitter cup and not have to drain it to the dregs. Sometimes we wrap up so much of our identity into our pain that we are afraid to give it over to our Savior because what will be left of us without the pain? The answer is more than we can imagine. God has prepared for us a feast of joy and peace and love and yes, also pain and sorrow, but we are more than foolish to stubbornly continue munching only on bitter herbs when we have an entire banquet set before us, especially that fruit which is sweet above all that is sweet, even the pure love of Christ.