Never Promised To Be Easy

Monday's are always difficult days for me. Sunday is usually such a celebration and ministry seems so real and effortless. The next morning we come back to reality where there is work to be done. I find myself uttering the words, "I thought this was suppose to be easier." In my mind I have it all built up that this being a Christ Follower thing is suppose to be easy. I am not suppose to encounter struggle or hard times. Monday morning usually brings the thought, maybe I should just do something else with my life. This is too hard.

Once I pull myself to my knees and reconnect with God, I start to remember some important things. First, I remember that I was never given t he promise of it being easy. Second, I can have easy if I am willing to settle for less than everything God has to offer. I have had opportunity to read through the Bible several times. I do not have it all memorized and I leave room to not have it all together, yet I have yet to find the place where we are promised it would be easy. Ever since people have been trying to follow God, they have had to struggle. The struggle has been with ourselves, with the society around us, with other followers. It seems as though it has always been a struggle, yet it also seems that we can grow through the struggle.

As far as making it easier. This whole pursuit could be made easier if I would simply identify a list of things that I can and should do, coupled with a list of things I cannot and should not do. If there I were to generate a prescriptive formula on how to follow Christ, I could simply do the right things, and not do the wrong things. No longer would I have to wrestle and struggle, I could simply compare to the list. While this would reduce the struggle and increase the guilt, it would not result in the life God has called us to in Christ.

Never were we promised following Christ would be easy. In fact often Christ was clear of the struggle it would be. The measure is not how easy it is to follow, rather how we engage the journey. If you are looking for easy, you might miss God and find religion. If you are looking for God, prepare for the journey.