When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure. – Victor Frankl

Donald Miller shared this wonderful quote in his book, Scary Close. It’s such a profound statement, I want to unravel a couple threads about pleasure and how we find meaning.

Man isn’t seeking pleasure as much as he was seeking a deep sense of meaning. If man has no meaning, he will numb himself with pleasure.

The problem is pleasure isn’t lasting; it satisfies the moment until we wake up without a purpose again. Give man meaning and he will stop chasing the distractions.

One way is to be honest about the brokenness. When we hide our affliction, flaws, and failures, we miss out on the power of the gospel.

This isn’t oversharing to seek attention. It’s a “me too”, honest approach to helping others. You’ll know the difference when you examine your motive for sharing. If your story points back to you as the source of strength, then you’ve taken away any power accessible to those who aren’t you. 

My life is a mess and I don’t have it figured out, but my hope rests in the mercy of a loving Father.

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