To see the podcast on this topic, click here!
Why is life so hard? Jesus is the answer.
We followers are known to say that, and other things.
Sometimes I worry that we are selling Jesus in a distinctly unbiblical way.
Jesus looked people in the eye and said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Mt. 7:14)
He also told people to “count the cost” of following him (Lk. 14:28).
With a little more digging we find the answer to the question “If I’m a Christian, why is life so hard?”
Digging Up War
In the life of the Old Testament prophet Elisha we see the greater reality of where we live and why life is so hard.
Elisha has, through his primary work of speaking for God, angered the King of Syria. When that king discovers where Elisha is, he sends his army out and surrounds him.
Elisha and his servant are staying near a town, Dothan. The servant goes out from where they are staying and sees the Syrian army surrounding them—and freaks out. He goes to Elisha and screams, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
You will love Elisha’s calm answer, if you picture it.
Here are two dudes standing outside a tent perhaps. They are surrounded by hundreds of armed solders.
Elisha states clearly, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Crazy right? They are surrounded by numerous soldiers, just two guys standing there with empty hands!
Crazy, unless your eyes are open…
That’s what Elisha says next, but speaking to our Almighty God, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”
It happens, the LORD does open the eyes of the young man, and he suddenly could see the most real reality, the enduring truth, and the reason why life is so hard:
”…Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)
Let’s unpack this unreal scene.
All around you, right now, there is a spiritual reality which is more real than what you can touch and feel…because that spiritual reality is the one that endures.
You are an embodied spirit—and if you could see how you appear as a spiritual creature alone, you would be amazed.
As C.S. Lewis put it, if we could see each other as we truly are, we would be tempted to fall down and worship each other, except that our Creator expressly told us not to (it’s that “no other gods before me” command in Ex. 20).
So, why is life so hard for the follower of the Way, the Christian?
Because we live in a war zone.
We who are saved are marked for attack by God’s enemy, Satan. Satan has a force of fallen angels we call demons, and they know who you are.
Especially if you are a good soldier of Christ, or a new believer.
Satan has already lost this war—in the future. But he will not admit it, nor give up trying to wreak havoc in God’s Kingdom.
Life is hard for you as a follower of Christ because you are a follower of Christ.
In fact, the close friend of Jesus Peter tells us, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you.” (1 Pet. 4:12-14)
LIfe is hard, so you should rejoice?
You read that right.
Steely-Eyed Warrior You
”Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” Former American President said that, and it is truly profound.
We can shelter our eyes from reality, but that does not in any singular way change what is true.
Whether or not you want this, it is true.
You, as a follower of Christ are living on a battleground, not a playground. Understood properly with a mind “set on the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-8 describes this choice and the alternative choice, setting your mind on the flesh) looking straight at the ugliness of the battle raging around us forces us to the foot of the cross.
The battle we will see with our human eyes is so far beyond our ability to conceive, and certainly handle—that it will compel us to go to Jesus on the cross. There we can look at the perfect Son of God, writhing in pain, overwhelmingly made filthy by our sins—and see that the battle belongs to the Lord.
A God who was willing to go to such a great length, to come to earth in the womb and through the birth canal of a poor young woman—just like the rest of us, what is he not willing to do to empower us to experience the victory in this war.
Fully seeing the ugliness that makes life so hard for us as a Christian, also drives us to the empty tomb.
The emptiness of that tomb, the folded head cloth and body wrappings, they if viewed straight on help us to see the true nature of our overwhelming fight and gives the answer to what may be the biggest fear—what if I die in this fight?
The answer?
Whether we live or die, it is all a victory. One brief moment in the presence of Jesus at his throne will leave us in awe and asking the question, “Why did I ever fear dying?”
Why is Life So Hard as a Christian?
Why is life so hard as a follower of The Way? Because of the beautiful fight. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:11-16:
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has mortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, who no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen”
Followers of the way who went before us translated that word “good” as “beautiful”—for good reasons.
First, the God who is willing to send his only Son to take on the filth of us and make us right before him—that amazing love is a love worth dying for.
Second, the suffering we endure as followers of Christ, i.e., the reason why life is so hard for the follower of Christ, is nothing more than what our Lord endured, and in fact is immeasurably less.
Third, Jesus has promised that he will dwell in us. The Holy Spirit will dwell in us. We do not have the strength for this battle within us, except for the strength of the indwelling God—the ultimate victorious strength within us!
Fourth, the fear of death is a powerful fear—but at the foot of the cross and the empty tomb testify that death is not only good, it is also the ultimate victory.
Death fighting in the spiritual realm is the best gift ever…no joke.
One moment with Christ, and the “why is life so hard” question will appear truly foolish and short-sighted.
One second experiencing Christ in the fullness of His glory will be beyond stunning, beyond wining, and make all the hardness we experienced on this life seem insignificant.
Do not be afraid to see what you see…
As this series continues, we will see in more detail how to lean into our role as the soldiers of Christ on the spiritual battlefield.
If you want the answer quicker, get my book Superhero: Being Who God Says You Are at this link. This book will step you through a process of growth into becoming more Christ-like in your warrior-ness day-by-day.
Superhero has one multiple awards and is a practical guide to stepping into the warrior role you have inherited as a follower of The Way.
If you need a shorter-course on conquering fear to jumpstart your beautiful fight of faith, click here for my latest book Freefall: God’s Path to Courage and Boldness. Or click here to see a video discussion of one of the essential elements of growing in courage.
Tune in next time for Part II, If I’m a Christian, Why is Life So Hard-Seeing Satan.
It’ll be a wild ride that you’ll want to have open eyes for.
In the meantime, “Why is life so hard?”
Because of the beautiful fight of our beautiful God, and his beautiful love in bringing beautiful you into his beautiful army…
(Image by Zephry18/IStockPhoto)
I’m a Christian, Why is Life So Hard?
Last Updated: January 13, 2025 by Stephen K. Moore · Leave a Comment
To see the podcast on this topic, click here!
Why is life so hard? Jesus is the answer.
We followers are known to say that, and other things.
Sometimes I worry that we are selling Jesus in a distinctly unbiblical way.
Jesus looked people in the eye and said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Mt. 7:14)
He also told people to “count the cost” of following him (Lk. 14:28).
With a little more digging we find the answer to the question “If I’m a Christian, why is life so hard?”
Digging Up War
In the life of the Old Testament prophet Elisha we see the greater reality of where we live and why life is so hard.
Elisha has, through his primary work of speaking for God, angered the King of Syria. When that king discovers where Elisha is, he sends his army out and surrounds him.
Elisha and his servant are staying near a town, Dothan. The servant goes out from where they are staying and sees the Syrian army surrounding them—and freaks out. He goes to Elisha and screams, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
You will love Elisha’s calm answer, if you picture it.
Here are two dudes standing outside a tent perhaps. They are surrounded by hundreds of armed solders.
Elisha states clearly, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Crazy right? They are surrounded by numerous soldiers, just two guys standing there with empty hands!
Crazy, unless your eyes are open…
That’s what Elisha says next, but speaking to our Almighty God, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”
It happens, the LORD does open the eyes of the young man, and he suddenly could see the most real reality, the enduring truth, and the reason why life is so hard:
”…Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)
Let’s unpack this unreal scene.
All around you, right now, there is a spiritual reality which is more real than what you can touch and feel…because that spiritual reality is the one that endures.
You are an embodied spirit—and if you could see how you appear as a spiritual creature alone, you would be amazed.
As C.S. Lewis put it, if we could see each other as we truly are, we would be tempted to fall down and worship each other, except that our Creator expressly told us not to (it’s that “no other gods before me” command in Ex. 20).
So, why is life so hard for the follower of the Way, the Christian?
Because we live in a war zone.
We who are saved are marked for attack by God’s enemy, Satan. Satan has a force of fallen angels we call demons, and they know who you are.
Especially if you are a good soldier of Christ, or a new believer.
Satan has already lost this war—in the future. But he will not admit it, nor give up trying to wreak havoc in God’s Kingdom.
Life is hard for you as a follower of Christ because you are a follower of Christ.
In fact, the close friend of Jesus Peter tells us, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you.” (1 Pet. 4:12-14)
LIfe is hard, so you should rejoice?
You read that right.
Steely-Eyed Warrior You
”Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” Former American President said that, and it is truly profound.
We can shelter our eyes from reality, but that does not in any singular way change what is true.
Whether or not you want this, it is true.
You, as a follower of Christ are living on a battleground, not a playground. Understood properly with a mind “set on the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-8 describes this choice and the alternative choice, setting your mind on the flesh) looking straight at the ugliness of the battle raging around us forces us to the foot of the cross.
The battle we will see with our human eyes is so far beyond our ability to conceive, and certainly handle—that it will compel us to go to Jesus on the cross. There we can look at the perfect Son of God, writhing in pain, overwhelmingly made filthy by our sins—and see that the battle belongs to the Lord.
A God who was willing to go to such a great length, to come to earth in the womb and through the birth canal of a poor young woman—just like the rest of us, what is he not willing to do to empower us to experience the victory in this war.
Fully seeing the ugliness that makes life so hard for us as a Christian, also drives us to the empty tomb.
The emptiness of that tomb, the folded head cloth and body wrappings, they if viewed straight on help us to see the true nature of our overwhelming fight and gives the answer to what may be the biggest fear—what if I die in this fight?
The answer?
Whether we live or die, it is all a victory. One brief moment in the presence of Jesus at his throne will leave us in awe and asking the question, “Why did I ever fear dying?”
Why is Life So Hard as a Christian?
Why is life so hard as a follower of The Way? Because of the beautiful fight. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:11-16:
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has mortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, who no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen”
Followers of the way who went before us translated that word “good” as “beautiful”—for good reasons.
First, the God who is willing to send his only Son to take on the filth of us and make us right before him—that amazing love is a love worth dying for.
Second, the suffering we endure as followers of Christ, i.e., the reason why life is so hard for the follower of Christ, is nothing more than what our Lord endured, and in fact is immeasurably less.
Third, Jesus has promised that he will dwell in us. The Holy Spirit will dwell in us. We do not have the strength for this battle within us, except for the strength of the indwelling God—the ultimate victorious strength within us!
Fourth, the fear of death is a powerful fear—but at the foot of the cross and the empty tomb testify that death is not only good, it is also the ultimate victory.
Death fighting in the spiritual realm is the best gift ever…no joke.
One moment with Christ, and the “why is life so hard” question will appear truly foolish and short-sighted.
One second experiencing Christ in the fullness of His glory will be beyond stunning, beyond wining, and make all the hardness we experienced on this life seem insignificant.
Do not be afraid to see what you see…
As this series continues, we will see in more detail how to lean into our role as the soldiers of Christ on the spiritual battlefield.
If you want the answer quicker, get my book Superhero: Being Who God Says You Are at this link. This book will step you through a process of growth into becoming more Christ-like in your warrior-ness day-by-day.
Superhero has one multiple awards and is a practical guide to stepping into the warrior role you have inherited as a follower of The Way.
If you need a shorter-course on conquering fear to jumpstart your beautiful fight of faith, click here for my latest book Freefall: God’s Path to Courage and Boldness. Or click here to see a video discussion of one of the essential elements of growing in courage.
Tune in next time for Part II, If I’m a Christian, Why is Life So Hard-Seeing Satan.
It’ll be a wild ride that you’ll want to have open eyes for.
In the meantime, “Why is life so hard?”
Because of the beautiful fight of our beautiful God, and his beautiful love in bringing beautiful you into his beautiful army…
(Image by Zephry18/IStockPhoto)
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