The opposite of joy is not suffering

John Piper said it well.

“The opposite of joy is not suffering, it’s despair in suffering.”

 

“Our calling here is to fight for joy — ours and the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. The aim is that God’s worth — his infinite desirability — be known and prized and praised in all the world. This is what we mean by God being glorified. He is most glorified in and through his people when we are most satisfied in him. The intensity of our pleasure and our desire bear witness of his worth to the world, especially when we are freed by this (present and hoped for) pleasure to leave the pleasures of this world for a life of sacrifice and love
for others.” –John Piper

Check out this wonderfully encouraging message and book by John Piper.

“When I Don’t Desire God.” and this video.

The pdf of the book is here