"Life is Hard."

My life is pretty hard. Now, in one sense, I don't think I've been through a lot of big tough things. Neither do I claim to have it as hard as Joe Schmo over there. Who can compare pain, being such a personal experience?

God never promised the lives of those who follow Him would be easy. In fact, He said it's like carrying your own cross, on a journey to crucify yourself and your own desires. The transformation from the old man to the new man (2 Corinthians 5:17) is the death of the one and the birth of the other, both of which are known as difficult processes. When God used Mary, it wasn't to make her life "easier"--it messed up all the plans she had for herself. Just look at His plan for Hosea.

As I enter adulthood, I feel hammering and chiseling from many different directions. When I am overwhelmed by the pain, that is all I can see, but God sees the house He is remodeling. (Let's take a moment to thank C.S. Lewis for that brilliant analogy.)

I often wonder, How can unbelievers go through life so care-free? It seems they don't care who they hurt--or actually care about anything. Sometimes I wonder if it's just me or if we who follow Christ are more in tune with pain around us because it actually matters to us. Because we understand the context for Brokenness, we see it in a different light. I also wonder if we are more in tune to see Redemption, as well.