I won’t ever say the words “It’s hard to be a Christian” because it’s not. God has given us the opportunity to live the most peaceful life imaginable. He’s given us the opportunity to trust in Him and not worry about anything else. What makes it hard, is having to live in the world. A world full of sin and temptation. A world where it seems okay to do things simply because someone around you is doing it too. A world where justifying your actions is more common than owning up to your mistakes and allowing yourself to learn and grow from them. But God doesn’t tell us to be of the world, in fact he instructs us to do the exact opposite.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
God pretty clearly gives us these instructions not because he’s some dude sitting on a gold throne barking orders at us mere humans. But rather because he’s the Creator of all things and he knows what is best for us. He also knows that being a “mere human” can be difficult and it has it’s challenges. He knows this and he sympathizes with us. He understands and not that that gives us wiggle room to mess up, but when we do mess up he gives us the opportunity to come back to him. He’s not a “one strike and you’re out” kind of guy. He’s a loving and merciful, filled with grace kind of guy.
I say all of this to remind ourselves that Christians are humans. We aren’t supposed to be perfect. We weren’t created without flaws. We are however, expected to strive for perfection. It’s something we need to be living for daily, knowing that we may never reach it. We are called to live like Jesus, the only perfect man to walk this earth. We are called to imitate him, to love like him, to forgive like him.
I won’t ever say the words “it’s hard to be a Christian” because it’s not. What’s hard is putting aside my fleshly desires. My human wants. My worldly lusts. It’s hard to set aside what society flaunts without batting an eye. It’s hard to pull away from something your body thinks it needs.
What is so easy though is opening up my Bible and reading the words God spoke. It’s easy to see that and be reminded of the love he has for me. The ultimate sacrifice he made in order for me to have an eternal relationship with him. I know that I’ll never be perfect according to the world's standards. I’m never going to be as pretty or smart or nice as others will want. But what I will always have is the love of God. Yes, I’ll mess up. I'll fall into temptation, maybe the same that I always fall into. I’ll do something in the spur of the moment that will only leave me empty with regret and disappointment. But God’s love and grace and mercy will never leave me. He will never forsake me.
No, it’s not hard to be a Christian when you understand just how amazing God truly is. And letting go of worldly possessions gets easier with time. It makes it more worth it when you understand that we’re only human and know that God understands that too. He’ll never give us more than we can handle. Even when we think it’s too much, he’s sitting up there with an understanding of our full strength. Knowing just how capable we are of striving for perfection.
