Sometimes I wish my life would be easier. Free from struggles, hardships, and burdens. I never want to feel tired and exhausted again but always be joyful and full of energy. I want my days to be more predictable, life in general, to be easier. That’s why I tend to ask God for the path of least possible resistance.
But when I look to the cross, I realize that Jesus’ life wasn’t easy at all. It was far from comfortable or pleasant. His path was full of stones and hindrances but lead to the greatest glorification.
We have to be realistic and once and for all stop longing for a life free of pain and hardships. Jacques Philippes
Jacques Philippes goes on to explain that we should stop complaining about the exhaustion and burden of everyday life. We shouldn’t let our minds wander dreaming about a better life. Philippes proposes that we should accept life as it is, the good and beautiful as well as the troubles.
We work and buy goods we hope would make our lives easier. We think that when we’ve purchased that thing, accomplished that challenge, climbed that mountain, THEN life would be easier. But it never will be.
Wishing our lives would be easier is actually God towing our hearts back towards him.
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2. Corinthians 4:17
We long for what was long lost in the Garden of Eden and what will be in the glorious future to come. The reason for life’s struggles is found in the curse (and the fall in general).
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. Genesis 3:17
The same God who cursed the ground due to human failure can give us contentment in our work.
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, Ecclesiastes 2:24
We can find satisfaction despite our toil. We can enjoy our days even if we’re faced with the struggles of life. And that is a gift from God. He can make our work more joyful or lead us to pursue new work that’s more enjoyable.
This means that life will still be hard and difficulties arise but God can give us joy despite our hardships.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
James urges us to consider facing our trials as pure joy. Why? Because with every difficulty we grow, mature, and develop into the likeness of Christ. Accept the toils of daily life asking God for the gift of joy knowing that it’s him who has placed a longing for eternity into your heart.
In my next blog post, I’m going to write about finding true rest. Subscribe to get notified as soon as I upload it.
Read more blog posts:
How to find joy in God despite your circumstances
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