(This blog is a a promised follow-up to the last post. I think it is important to include this so you have reasonable perspective.). After I became a Christian, life did not get easier for me; in fact it much harder in various ways. For starters I developed epilepsy as a young teenager that lasted until my 30's. I also got physically assaulted by my older brother. Then my Dad died before I reached my 18th birthday. The thought of giving up my new found faith had crossed my mind many times! With my life getting depressing, I looked for a way to shore up my faith. So I started to read up on apologetics, (books that reasonably and intelligently defend the faith). "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell was a good start, so was "Who Moved the Stone?" These books gave me the proof I needed that Christ's claims of death and Resurrection were real, not just some nice fantasy or a triumphant tale of good over evil.
Why am I telling you all this? So that you do not harbor any illusions about the Christian life. The Christian life was never meant to be easy, amusing, or a source of entertainment. What it was intended to be was a relationship with the God who created the Universe. Many people have given their lives because there was more joy being near God than hanging on to their short life. By the way, there are certain positive characteristics that never develop when things are easy. For example: Patience and courage don't happen when life is easy to you. No! Adversity has its God ordained purpose! (Notice how communities have come together during a recent flood?).
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