Feel Like Escaping Your Problems?
At the end of every year, I always pray and ask the Lord what passage of Scripture to meditate on for the next year. As I was praying this past December, the Lord put on my heart 1 Peter 1, specifically reflecting on the process of refinement. The past six months have offered many opportunities to be refined. Looking back, I’m grateful for these moments, but in the midst of it, rarely was it enjoyable. The sermon this past Sunday really resonated with me. As I have been contemplating the truths of 1 Peter 1, God has graciously revealed to me the sin so clearly in my heart. In the moments of adversity, I am so quick to run. Whether it be physically removing myself from a situation, or just mentally/emotionally checking out, when hardship comes, I want to bail. I want to escape.
I recently came out of a difficult season and God was so kind to surround me with a biblical community that pointed me to Him. People close to me reminded me that the Lord is with me in these things, and that He loves me. Yet sadly to admit, at times I found myself with a lack of understanding about the depth of these truths. In the most painful parts of this season, I was sometimes left feeling like, “I don’t care about the good that will come from this, I just want out”. This may just be a hunch, but if you’re reading this blog, I’m sure you can in some ways relate. The human condition is permeated with the desire to flee anything that does not bring comfort, happiness, or security. After all, we were not created to experience brokenness, but because of the fall of man, now we all are met with the excruciating pain of life apart from Christ. So how do we wrestle with this reality that we live in? Not living in despair because of our hope in Christ, while also holding in tandem the truth of our pain and not minimizing our situations? This is something I am still learning and growing in myself. Yet by God’s grace, I am developing a clearer understanding of what my options are. I can either choose to escape and feel a fleeting moment of security which ultimately leaves me the same, if not weaker. Or, I can embrace the furnace, and although it’s painful, be a clearer picture of the love and work of Christ in me. More than anything, I pray that this blog encourages you with the truth that while the hardship and difficulty you face is real, through Jesus, He strengthens you and empowers you to walk through suffering and experience more of Himself. So how do we view escapism and enduring in light of this? Let’s first take a look at escapism.
What is Escapism and How Should We View It?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, escapism is defined as, “the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy” Watching tv, sleeping, eating, you fill in the blank. If humanity can think it up, we’ll probably find a way to use it to distract ourselves. Sometimes this is very blatant to see, like how some people are drawn to abusing substances to numb the pain or spending countless hours on social media to distract. Yet other times it might be subtle, such as being very productive in other ways so you’re “too busy” to address what’s in front of you. Or perhaps you use all your time volunteering and serving others just to feel good about yourself so you don’t have to wrestle through the emptiness you feel deep down in your soul. If you google the origin of escapism, it didn’t gain popularity until the 1930’s. Yet from the Fall of Man, we see our natural inclination to run. When Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened to evil and brokenness, and so they tried to hide their bodies and hide from the Lord (Genesis 3). We don’t see escapism until after the Fall. Why is this? Because in the beginning, everything was perfect, there was no need to run. This is what we were created for; to experience perfect peace, joy, and security. Humanity was in true union with the Lord. Yet here we are in 2025, and things are not the same. When things don’t go how we thought they would or should, we try to run. So much of our culture tells us to leave our problems, find freedom in denial, and that the easy life is the right life. It is not inherently sinful to hate this brokenness, in fact, it’s God-glorifying to hate sin and its consequences. Yet where the line starts to get blurred is how we cope with the realities of living in a broken world. The issue of escapism is not entertainment or fantasy worlds itself (depending on what type of entertainment and fantasy). But it is the purpose behind why we are interacting with these things. Do the hardships and pain lead you to resting so you can persevere more effectively? Or do they lead you to run far from your problems and God for as long as you can until you absolutely can’t anymore? Running from problems is different than being renewed by Christ so you can courageously depend on Him and endure the trials. This is a helpful distinction to show us the difference between rest and ungodly escapism. Just to be clear, I would be hesitant to say escapism is always unbiblical or sinful, but what matters is the way we escape. What I would like to put in front of you is an opportunity to escape to Jesus. Then as we rest in Him, He gives us the strength to take heart and endure.
What is the Good in Embracing Hardship?
I remember listening to a sermon by Tim Keller once talking about Hebrews 12. He gave the image of going to the gym and working out. With every bicep curl, you feel weaker and weaker, but in reality you’re getting stronger. Keller explained, “The weaker you feel you’re getting the stronger you’re getting. That’s how exercise works. And if you learn how to run the race [of life] according to Hebrews… If you meet the troubles of life in the right way, as you’re going through suffering you’ll feel like your faith is getting weaker… you won’t feel like you’re getting stronger, but you are” This is a lot of what hardship feels like. Just a reminder of how weak we are. Which is encouraging in a two-fold manner. First, we are reminded that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9) which leads to greater dependence on Him, and secondly, that even when it doesn’t feel like it, we can be confident that God is taking us from one degree of glory to the next (2 Cor 3:18). But even below this, there’s a deeper encouragement: hardship not only strengthens us, it draws us nearer to the very heart of Christ. 1 Peter 1 reminds us that trials are necessary, not random. They grieve us, yes—but they also refine us. These trials are the furnace in which the “genuineness of our faith—more precious than gold”—is revealed. And what’s the outcome? The praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. In other words, we aren’t just able to persevere for longer, but through the trials, Jesus reveals more of Himself. Both presently through glimpses, and fully when He returns for His people. Even though we haven’t seen Him, Peter says we love Him. We trust Him. And somehow, even through pain, we find ourselves rejoicing with joy that is “inexpressible and filled with glory.” This is the good of embracing hardship. It pulls us out of ourselves and into deeper communion with the One who is holding us through the difficulty. It strips away the things we thought we needed so that we can see the One we truly need. It produces not only endurance, but a clearer, more glorious faith—one that clings to Jesus not just for the sake of relief, but for the gift of relationship. When everything else is stripped away, and we’re forced to confront our limits, we begin to see how sufficient and faithful He really is. When our strength fails, we see more clearly the One who never fails. What a comforting and wonderful truth! God doesn't waste our pain—He uses it to wean us off our self-dependence and press us deeper into Himself. So if that’s true… then how do we run to Him instead of from our pain?
How Do We Embrace the Hardship Through Christ?
Running to Jesus doesn’t mean denying where you’re at or pretending that you feel fine. It doesn’t mean minimizing what you’re going through or trying to struggle to pull it together on your own. It means turning to Jesus, the One who knows your pain and willingly chose to enter into it. Laying it all honestly at His feet, and asking Him to help you endure when it feels like you can’t take another step. Asking Him to help you embrace where you’re at, and in the midst of it, give you more of Himself. Jesus is the Great High Priest who comforts us and understands the realities of what we’re going through. Jesus didn’t choose to escape suffering, He willingly submitted to what the Father had in store for Him on this earth. He endured the cross, bearing the full weight of sin and shame, so that we could escape —not just from the difficulties of life, but from the wrath of God (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:6–7). In the Garden of Gethsemane, He didn’t choose to distract Himself from the pain. He didn’t run away and avoid the cross. He embraced it, for the joy set before Him—and that joy was us, a people for His own possession. His beloved Church (Hebrews 12:2) (1 Peter 2:9). Even though we don’t deserve this grace, our loving Father offers it generously to all that believe. So when you feel like running and escaping the first chance you get, cling to this truth: While the hardship and difficulty you face is real, through Jesus, He strengthens you and empowers you to walk through suffering and experience more of Himself. A greater joy, security, and comfort than running away could ever offer. Escaping to Christ might look like praying and crying out to the Lord, even if all you can manage is “Help me, Jesus. I need you”. It could be opening the Word and reading a familiar passage, even when your heart feels numb. Asking the Lord to help the truth wash over you and sink deep into your heart even when you feel like you’re struggling to believe it’s true. Maybe it’s taking some time to journal and fully cast your feelings and burdens on the Lord, believing that He cares for you and wants to take them. It could be opening up to a friend and asking them to sit with you and remind you of who God is and how He has been faithful to you previously. These actions may feel painstakingly slow with no results for a prolonged period, but I promise through time and patience, you’ll see the Lord in it. Whether it's now or when you look back, I am confident that God’s loving hand will sustain you through every moment.
For those in Christ, we live with a tension in our hearts—walking through sorrow while clinging to a joy that is inexpressible and secure. We stand on the unshakable hope of God, not because life is easy, but because He is with us in it. And even when the road ahead is marked by adversity, there is still fullness of joy to be found—not in the absence of pain, but in the nearness of Christ (Psalm 16:11). So take heart today, friend. Not a single moment of your suffering is wasted. God is aware and keeps every tear in His care (Psalm 56:8). Run to Him, be overwhelmed by His love, and let this be the fuel as you embrace the furnace of refinement, looking ahead to the glory to come.
Further resources to dwell on:
The Furnace and the Storehouse Sermon
I Want to Escape: Reaching for Hope When Life Is Too Much by Rush Witt
