All my life, I've heard people at church say, "When you become a Christian, it's not an easy life." I understand where these people are coming from, but I really must disagree. Being a Christian doesn't automatically make life harder, but we, as Christians, make it harder than it should be because we're humans.

OK. I get it. Satan will attack you as a God-serving and God-fearing Christian, but why do we have to act like it's such a big deal when we are trying to get others to become a Christian? Wouldn't that scare them off? I want new Christians to understand God will carry our burden for us, and we don't even have to worry or deal with life's problems. Jesus said Himself, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you take up My yoke and learn from Me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light." (Matthew 11:28-30, New King James Version). Obviously if we follow Jesus and give him our burden, it will be light for Him, so all that's left for us is that easy yoke, which means we have to action upon God's commands. That is how God deals with burdens we give Him because then we grow as Christians.

Being a Christian can be very straightforward. All you do is let God supply your needs, look for His direction in life, do as He tells you, and rely fully on Him. He does more than enough on His part, so it's time for us to do our part. This will make life SO much easier than what it can seem at times. I'll admit it--I don't always enjoy life. Some days, well most days, I find myself at edge, wanting everything to just stop for a minute. I tend to underestimate God's power, but sometimes I think about what God could potentially do. Those are times when I understand the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13, New King James Version). God can do anything, even give us the strength, so it really shouldn't be all that hard.

If we truly have faith that God can do all things and we trust in Him, He can do great things in our lives. He has a plan for us, so that should be at least one source of joy during the trials and tribulations Satan likes to throw our way. When that happens, all we must do is remember it's a test and trust in God to take care of it. When we look at the situation and go, "Oh no," it makes it seem so much worse than what it actually is, so go out this new year and let God do something huge in your life! "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, New King James Version). If these thoughts give us a future and a hope, doesn't that mean God holds a plan for each of our lives? All of these thoughts He has toward us include ONLY peace, and it doesn't include any evil at all.

May God bless this new year!