Happiness Is A Scratched Itch
Illustration
by Philip Yancey

There is an ancient Chinese philosophy which says: ‘To be dry and thirsty in a hot and dusty land—and to feel great drops of rain on my bare skin—ah, is this not happiness? To have an itch in the private parts of my body—and finally to escape from my friends and to a hiding place where I can scratch—ah, is this not happiness?’

Pain and pleasure are inextricably linked. The pleasure would not exist, or least be recognized, if it were not for pain.

Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Where is God When it Hurts, by Philip Yancey