And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28
One of the first things a person expects when they become a Christian is that their life is now going to be easy. No more struggles. No more sadness. No more worries. Life is going to be great from now on. God will take care of everything and give me all that I want because nothing is going to go wrong ever again.
The truth, however, is not like this and when a new Christian finds this out, they can easily fall and become disillusioned with God. They believed a lie that has been around ever since the fall of man. It is something that has been used by Satan time and time again – an image of Christianity that doesn’t exist. Many people when they find out, resent the fact that life doesn’t become worry and trouble free when they become a Christian.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that as soon as we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour that all our troubles will be gone. In fact, life gets harder when you become a Christian because you now have a target on your back. Satan and his followers will be working even harder to make sure that your life isn’t easy.
Jesus himself did not have an easy life and he was perfect. He suffered loss, was frustrated at times, and even got a little bit angry at times. Most of all, he endured an agonising death at the hand of his enemies. He was tortured and beaten while also dealing with public ridicule and scorn. There was no easy way out for Him, and he was perfect.
So, if life doesn’t become easy when you become a Christian, what is the point of becoming one at all? The point of becoming a follower of Jesus is that instead of going through life’s trials alone and relying on your strength to make it, you now have Jesus in your corner. He will give you all that need to get under, over or through your problems and trials. There is hope that only comes from Him and you will always have the knowledge that everything will work out for your good and the glory of God.
No-one living on earth is going to have an easy life. This is an imperfect world damaged by sin. Even those who seem to have it all together will face problems at one time or another. The only real guarantee is that God is there waiting to help you through the bad times. All you must do is accept Him and hand over your problems to Him when the need arises. He will never leave you or forsake you if you remember that you have been called according to His purpose and that all things will work for His and your good.
Originally published online in 2017