Christianity is NOT a Stroll in the Park!

Melissa and I were on a walk the other day and as we turned off the highway we saw a softball game going on. We decided to take a stroll in the park to check it out. This turned out to be an eventful stroll, around the first turn we were attacked by swarming bugs in the summer air. After we swatted them away we noticed that the trail ended in gravel. We had a stroller at the time so we pushed our way through the gravel to finally arrive at the game, which was our actual destination. This seemed like a lot of work just to get to a softball game. In many ways, as believers in Christ, we sometimes feel that being a Christian is a stroll in the park. We feel that we can wake up and everything will go our way. This is simply not the case. Christianity is a tough lifestyle that we choose to live and to lead. In the book of James we find this passage that reassures us that there will be tough times ahead. James 1: 2-6 reads "2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." The bugs we encountered were a representation of all the pesky things that can ruin our day, maybe they are children being fussy, rumors about us, or even a bad drive to work. Knowing that these instances will make us strong encourages us to push on until we are past them. Then, as we seem to be in the clear, the road ahead becomes bumpy and we are shaken in our daily lives. Perhaps things have now gone out of control. When this happens remember (even though it is much easier said than done) the road ahead is your destination and we are to take joy in trials and tribulations that we encounter as we work to get there. This truly shows we are on the right path to GOD!