Some things about following Jesus feel effortless but I have come to experience that more often than not, following Him is not easy. It is hard when you are in the office and someone is repeatedly taking God's name in vain, to speak up. It is a struggle to turn the other cheek when someone has brutally wounded you. It feels like being oh-so-stretched extending forgiveness to someone who isn't sorry. It is difficult to leave a party by yourself because you don't like the atmosphere. It doesn't always feel good to do the right thing.
It is exhausting to be in the wilderness and have to climb the tree one limb at a time in order to even get a glimpse of the horizon. And sometimes, when you get to the top, it's just fog. It is hard to believe in what you cannot see. It is hard to pray for the 789th time for the same situation or person to heal and change.
Choosing to trust when everything is falling apart yet again, is wearisome. Stepping out of the boat to walk on the water when it feels like you have everything to lose, takes guts. Some days, our guts are gone.
Believing a vision the Lord has laid on your heart when no one else sees it, is lonely. Knowing full well that you are going to offend people is tough. Being shamed, judged, and criticized for what you hold dear to your heart, hurts.
Being misunderstood, and even worse, not wanting to be understood, can pull on every insecurity we have. Not following along with rules, policies, mandates, and guidelines that tear at the core of our faith can be tiring, especially when you're one of only a few voices. Telling people the truth when you know it is going to hurt them takes conviction and it doesn't feel good.
As one of my close friends put it, "The Christian walk is grueling." It is about perseverance and resiliency, often in the face of hardship. We keep walking because of Who our focus is on. We keep walking because of God's grace lifting up the soles of our feet. He is where it is at. His love started it. The more you know Him, the more you love Him; and the more you love Him, the more sure you are that there is no one else in all the universe you want to belong to.
Following Jesus can be grueling but it is also the ride of a lifetime with the best yet the come. Jesus is a gift. Our relationship with Him is a gift. Salvation is a gift.
Stay the course, my friends. We must continue gathering together and praying for one another. We can do this with God.
Galatians 6:9 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."
Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
Romans 5:3-5 "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
Written by,
Dee M. Kostelyk
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