The more difficult road

Recently, I read something that was a bit dismaying to me.

And I think the worst part was the fact that the person who was writing about this is definitely not the only one who feels this way.

This person was writing on their view of people who are "religious" {although I think they were primarily talking about Christians}, and how religious people have an easy way out...how their lives seem so much easier because they believe in something/someone {READ: GOD!} who controls their destiny and controls the outcome of everything.

okay...can I just say...

That couldn't be further from the truth!

As a Christian, I can tell you right now...following God is a ROAD! And a difficult one at that! And it is a road of CHOICES...making your OWN DECISIONS! 

I am not walking aimlessly down a random life path waiting for things to just fall into my lap. It doesn't work that way. God doesn't clear all of the bad things in life out of the way in order to make things easier. He doesn't ever tell me directly where I should be going or what I should be doing. He doesn't always answer my prayers exactly the way I hope He will. He does not just give me everything I want, or what I think will make me happy at the time. 

But here's what He DOES do...

He ALLOWS me to make choices for my own life. That's what life is...a series of choices. And the outcome is a DIRECT RESULT of those choices.  If I make a bad decision, I'm going to face negative consequences. Likewise, if I make a good decision, I'm going to reap the benefits. And the same thing goes for when I face results from someone else's choices that affect me...good or bad. 

But even when the outcome is bad...or looks like it could become very bad...the one thing I can always count on is that God is THERE WITH ME. He may not be controlling the exact outcome, because that's not the way He works, and He may not totally rescue me from bad things happening all of the time. Negative consequences are meant to be life lessons, and rough times are meant to grow us...but He does see it happening. He does see and feel my pain and heartache, and He does want to guide me through it.

My main choice, is to TRUST.

Which is very possibly the most difficult word in my vocabulary to put into practice. I don't do trust very well. Way too many people in my life, whom I have trusted, have majorly let me down...and I am sure MOST of you know what that feels like! 

And that's what makes following God so difficult. You can't see or hear Him, so how can you trust? That's where the expression "blind leap of faith" comes from. You truly are leaping blindly. 

But trusting God is the absolute best choice you can make, because even when the road gets incredibly rough, God is always there carrying you through it, because you've ASKED Him to, and you TRUST Him to. And that, my dear friends, is a choice that He will honor!

That is the best part...

If we put our faith and trust in God, we will always, always, ALWAYS have the best of the best.

Is it always what we expect? No, definitely not.

Are there struggles and dark times along the way? Absolutely! But if that didn't happen, we'd have no reason to need His help! That WOULD make it too easy...and that's just not real life.

SO...being a Christian is easy?? I know I said at the beginning of this post that I found that statement to be a bit dismaying...but I honestly think that it's almost laughable in a way! 

Because it couldn't be more false!

BUT! I surely do think that it is the BEST way...because the rewards along the way are great...and more importantly, the ultimate reward we shall find in Heaven will be the absolute greatest!