Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. Matthew 11:28-30
The number of people stressed these days is almost equal to the number of people on earth. With corporate greed, political corruption and the covid lie, hardship can strip those who are weak of everything – even down to their own will…
For those who are unfamiliar or inexperienced with suffering, you will need to manage yourself manfully; this is only done through wisdom.
For those who think that God will take care of all their troubles, you're in for a rough–ride! Jesus says in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”
Hardship is an essential element to preserve through; not only in the Christian life but in every area of life. In business, hardship is described as a stepping-stone or the downside. In fitness, it’s described as strength-training; in relocating, it’s described as networking (Need I go on?).
In Christianity, the Bible describes it as a filter through which Christ-followers will enter the
The Bible calls us to endure hardship.
Why? Because it's faith building.
Those who have filled their lives and set their beliefs on temporary comforts have never really allowed themselves to become familiar with hardship. These folks fall apart at the slightest sign of hardship.
Hebrews 12:7 says "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?"
Discipline is training and training is designed to make you stronger; every bodybuilder would agree.
When people face pressure, they have two choices: buckle under it or lift the weight off of them.
If you want to change your life for the better, you need to do just that.
Many of us become indignant when we face hardships because we feel the treatment is unfair or unjust. In our self-righteous-anger, we 'right' the wrong that was done to us.
Unfortunately, this is failing to endure.
2 Timothy 4:5 says "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship."
I've seen people destroyed because of comforts. They end up stressed, sick, inflicted with terrible diseases, full of anxiety, depressed, unable to make decisions, struggling with addiction, drug-overdosed and in some cases, dead - all because they refused to meet challenges along the way, and manage the downside.
Philippians
There is always a reason for our sufferings; none of them are in vein. God uses them to remove worms of self-concern and to plant seeds of faith.
As your faith builds, you know how to handle hardship without letting it knock you off course…on a side note, when we live for comforts [pleasures] we are already off course.
What are some of the way we can get back on course?
We can:
Fear not – When we fall to fear, we lose our faith, when we lose our faith, we seek [false] comfort. Turn to the Word of God for His guidance and direction.
Welcome change – but only if the change brings you closer to God. Most of our comforts alienate us from God so this makes complete sense.
See things from another perspective – when we focus solely on ourselves, we entertain the wrong emotions – every time! When we focus on Christ, it takes our eyes off of ourselves, and we see the situation more clearly.
Endure hardship – when you look at the life of Job, you will note that he endured through it all. He was in right standing with God – meaning – his heart never convicted him of any sin. In the end, he was rewarded for maintaining his position.
Understand the purpose of your hardship – Be willing to accept the challenge. God doesn’t bring you to a duel in which He doesn’t give you the tools to overcome. Overcoming the hardship is the only way through it. Each time you run from hardship, they get more difficult to deal with. It’s always best to deal with them and put them behind you; this is how you get stronger.
If you ever watched the movie The Passion Of The Christ, one can easily observe that Jesus was more concerned for the sins of others rather than His own well-being. He endured a great deal of pain and preserved under it until his assignment was complete. Jesus was the strongest man to ever walk this world and in Him, we learn how to endure hardship victoriously!
Comfort is your greatest sign of weakness.
Enduring hardship is the greatest sign of strength.
When we preserve under pressure - we are the ones who 'get the crown'.
Revelation 2:3 says "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."
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