There is something wrong with everything. I learned that again this past week when trading vehicles. We bought a new van a year ago but were extremely disappointed with the gas mileage. It seemed as if we were constantly on the lookout for a gas station and spending way too much time in line for affordable fuel. So, we decided to swallow our loss and find a van with better mileage. Our new van is a hybrid that gets 36 miles per gallon.
I like the new van, but it isn’t perfect. Features we hoped for are not included. It’s comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as the van we traded in. The color is not what my wife wanted. Did we make the right choice? We may always wonder. In other words, there is something wrong with this van too. There seems to be no such thing as total satisfaction. Must we always live with “good enough”?
In this world, that answer is “yes.” Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22-23 ESV)
As I wait for the perfect vehicle, I also wait for the perfect world. There are encouraging signs: a diplomatic breakthrough, a show of kindness, an outstanding achievement. But there are also disappointments: deadlier weapons, hateful speeches, and broken promises. Our hope is not in better inventions, better laws, better people, or better governments. Our hope is in the return of Christ. When he comes, “He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things [will] have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 ESV)