Why is life so hard?
More lately, than ever before, I’ve heard a number of people ask the same question, why is life so hard? It’s caused me to reflect back on my life and the life of my family to find out is life more difficult now than it was when my parents were younger? It seems that each generation had their challenges… enough, at least, for them to ask the same question… why is life so hard.
So.. why is life so hard? After all, Paul in his writings in 1 Corinthians shares that we whether we are eating, drinking, or whatever we do, that we are to do all to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). Additionally, Mark 12:30 states that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we’re to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). If these principles of life aren’t difficult to understand and comprehend, why is life so hard?
Why is life for Christ so hard? Luke 9:23 states that if any man desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Why is it so hard to do this?
When it comes to family… why is life so hard? The 3 statutes in Ephesians, (1) husbands love your wives, (2) wives honor your husbands, and (3) children obey your parents. If these are attainable, why is it so challenging to keep a family together as a family unit?
I believe the answer to this life questions lies in one verse in Proverbs… Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction (Proverbs 13:15). If we are not glorifying, loving, and honoring God always, if husbands are not loving their wives, wives honoring their husbands, and children obeying their parents, sin evolves and grows. It makes us transgressors and life gets hard and rather ugly!
The good news is that the same proverb exposes an answer to the question … that good judgement wins favor… that through salvation and sanctification, this question about life is more easily handled at a time when answers to life’s struggles is difficult to come by. One possible explanation as to why goes like this… Sin makes life more difficult… salvation comes when a personal relationship with Jesus Christ exists… when we have salvation, sins are forgiven! Together with the life-long growth in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ through sanctification, God’s Word promises that life will not be so hard… that loving and glorifying God will not be so hard… that loving our wives, honoring our husbands, and obeying our parents will not be so hard… that the spiritual life is more abundant, joyful, and enjoyable. Praise God that it doesn’t have to be so hard! Nor do we have to do any of this life alone!
So… why is life so hard? The good news is that it doesn’t have to be… Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction (Proverbs 13:15).
May our Lord and Savior grant us the joy of glorifying Him, living as we should, and becoming the family He created us to be.
Greg (gstefanelli)
Sixty-six books in a year 