There are many people that believe that once you become a Christian that all of your trouble and worries, restless nights, financial woes, and any other problems you may face will melt away. Still others believe that they may have to continue to deal with those that began in their pre-Christian life, but no new problems will follow. There are a whole slew of televangelists and sooth sayers out there that push this idea that "good Christians" live "happy lives."
Allow me to be blunt. These people are wrong. Many of them are misguided men and women with good intent who have come to believe more in what they want to believe than what scripture teaches. Others want to cash in on the masses who desperately seek God, but wish to find a God that suits their life rather than conforming their lives to what God asks of his people. Whatever their reason, the message that becoming a Christian makes life easy is wrong.
You may ask, how can you be so sure that a fairy tale life is not biblical? My answer is to look at those that were closest to Jesus. Look at those who learned at his feet and lived with him day and night. Look at their lives and see if they lived a life of ease, did all of their troubles disappear? No. Each one was persecuted and suffered greatly not only in spite of their belief, but because of it.
Read the following verses taken from the Bible.
Matthew 24:5-13 (New International Version)
5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
John 15:17-19 (New International Version)
17This is my command: Love each other.
18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
It is made fairly clear here that Jesus is telling us that there will be problems, even for believers.
Why is this important? Because people need to know going in that Christianity is not a magic potion or a wave of the wand. Christianity is a relationship with God, but it does not pull us out of a fallen world.
Christianity does not act as a bubble shielding us from the world, instead it asks us to go out into the world and to tell those that hate us that we love them. Following Christ does not make life easier, but it does make it better. It gives us a hope and assurance that when this life is over we will not just disappear and cease to exist, but go on. In a complicated world we have a guide that shows us how to live and what to do. Most of all, we have God's promise that when we mess up, and we all mess up, that there is forgiveness. There is much to be gained through following Christ, but make no mistake, this life will still be tough. However, with Christ, you will never have to face these challenges alone.
