Articles
A Tale of Two Pleasures
A Tale of Two Pleasures
There once was a pleasure named “Good.” He was named for the good pleasures in life like music, sunrises and sunsets, cool breezes, apple pie, laughter, play-time with children, soft, cool sand giving way beneath our toes at the beach, sex in marriage, award-winning films, and favorite hobbies. Good made life better. Good made life enjoyable. But Good — was not good enough. Mankind longed in their hearts for something more; something deeper. People enjoyed Good for a while, only to grow tired of him. They enjoyed Good briefly, but always got bored and moved on. No matter how hard Good tried, he couldn’t hold their attention forever; they always left him for “more productive things.” In the end, Good was all alone.
There once was a pleasure named “Wicked.” He was named for the wicked pleasures in life. He provided feelings of ecstasy and euphoria. He provided forbidden pleasure through things like fornication, adultery, drunkenness, pornography, drugs, drinking parties, gluttony, abuse of power, fits of rage, and selfishness. Wicked promised to make life better. Wicked promised to make life enjoyable, but always broke his promises and let everyone down. Sadly, Wicked — was not wicked enough. Man’s flesh only craved more. No matter how hard Wicked tried to please people, no one was ever satisfied. Sure, they’d be pleased for a moment, but afterwards people always ended up disappointed, angry, hurt, or dead. Some hated Wicked so much they left him and vowed never to return. Those who stayed loyal to Wicked were so empty, depressed, and dissatisfied, they weren’t good company anyway. In the end, Wicked was all alone.
Neither Good nor Wicked’s pleasure could satisfy the deepest longings of man’s heart. People either got bored with good pleasure or frustrated and destroyed by wicked pleasure. This is what Solomon found. “I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.’ And behold, it too was futility.” (Ecc. 2:1). The pursuit of pleasure for Solomon, whether good or wicked, provided no happiness in the end because it didn’t last. Only God satisfies. He gave us souls created for eternal relationship with Him. “Who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” (Ecc. 2:25). God is forever, not fleeting. When we try to find ultimate soul satisfaction in pleasure, we’re asking pleasure to give what it cannot. We’re asking what’s temporary to soothe an eternal ache. “He has also set eternity in man’s heart.” (Ecc. 3:11). Certainly, God gave us good pleasure to enjoy during our short time on the earth. “For to a person who is good in his sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.” (Ecc. 2:26). But not even good pleasure can fill our most deep-seated hunger. It’s merely a foretaste of the eternal goodness of God and the lasting satisfaction of Heaven. Are you pursuing pleasure or Heaven? Earth, or eternity?
