“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
The Christian life was never meant to be easy. As the renowned German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously stated, “when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” How can a life that calls you to die to yourself, be easy? Jesus Christ our Lord said it Himself: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24 )
We live in a time and in a culture that distorts this message of sacrifice and self-denial, and instead we are told we can just have a relationship with Jesus. We are told that He is for us rather than we for Him, and that a Christian life is one of prosperity, blessing, and happiness. We are told that this is God’s will, yet on the pages of scripture we read something quite different.
In scripture we read the words of Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 7 and Matthew 16 where He tells us the way is narrow, and constricted or difficult (NKJV), and that we must deny ourselves if we wish to follow Him. This is hard. The Apostle Paul details his own life of faith in his letter to the Galatian churches, stating in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Dying to self and resisting the world is not easy and often not welcomed.
And while this is a truth we must acknowledge and joyfully accept, it is not something that should cause us fear or anguish. Though there is the certainty of difficulty in this life for those who set their hearts to follow the Lord, there is also great promises of comfort and sustainment: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Do not look for an easier way out, or a version of Christian faith that seeks to avoid the hardships we are promised. It’s the hardship that brings growth and it’s the difficulties that teach us to rely on God—which glorifies Him. And it’s in hardship that we see God’s comfort and provision most clearly. Our Lord told us this was the case: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
So, in response to this humbling truth, let us respond as Paul did, saying of ourselves, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10