James 1:12

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Living a Christian life is not always easy. When we seek to serve the Lord, and feel that the Spirit is leading us in our actions, we can still find ourselves returning home with a fat lip and a black eye. We live in a world of people… flawed, broken people (myself included)…and as a result, there will be times when things go sideways. There will be times when we are confident that the Spirit is leading us, we are passionate about where we are headed and that we are taking the right steps. Then we get kicked in the mouth and suddenly we are left wondering where it all went wrong. Maybe the fault lands on us…maybe the fault lands on the other guy…either way, something got off and things went south. And when this happens, we have two options: 1) We can quit, abandon the role as God’s servant, and seek another path in life; or 2) We can get back up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the game, serving God and seeking his hand as our guide. We certainly aspire to embrace the second option, but at times its way easier said than done. At times we simply want to get as far away from that role as possible, remembering how much that fat lip and black eye stung. But that’s not what God has called us to do. In the Gospel books of the Bible, Jesus mentions that living a life as a Christian is not going to be easy (Matthew 10:22, John 15:21, Mark 13:13). There will be times when are trying to serve the Lord, as we feel called, and we end up getting cut at the knees. It’s simply a reality of the role of a Christian and the reality of this broken world. But we know that as followers of Christ, when we refuse to abandon our faith, there is a great reward promised to us at the end of the race. And there is an interesting thing about getting knocked down…we usually learn a lot and grow stronger from it. We don’t welcome pain in our lives, but with each new battle, we are presented with the opportunity to gain knowledge, get stronger, and grow in our faith. So getting knocked down is not all bad, as there is actually some good that comes from it…despite the fat lip and black eye. So today, when we get punched in the face, may we find the strength in the Lord to get back up and rejoin the fight…never abandoning our call as servants to the Father Almighty. Fight on!