I have always tried to be very honest when describing my experiences and observations. I try to share a true picture of life as a follower of Christ in this world. When you accept Christ as your Savior, your life does not suddenly change for the better – you do! Your reaction to life will drastically change and that will make all the difference. Yes, there will be times of great blessing, answered prayer and a taste of heaven in God’s presence, but in spite of what the prosperity preachers tell us, while we are on this earth there also will be suffering, trials and even heartache. You may even face additional attacks from those who hate God and anyone who loves and follows Jesus. The big advantage of being a Christian is that you no longer have to face hardships alone. God told Isaiah, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2) Paul wrote, “In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:17-18)
There is a song by The Martins titled The Promise that blesses me so much every time I hear it. The lyrics describe our realistic walk with God much better than I ever could. “I never said that I would give you silver or gold or that you would never feel the fire or shiver in the cold, but I did say you’d never walk through this world alone and I did say don’t make this world your home. I never said that fear wouldn’t find you in the night or that loneliness was something you’d never have to fight, but I did say I’d be right there by your side and I did say I’ll always help you fight. I didn’t say you’d never taste the bitter kiss of death or walk through chilly Jordan to enter into rest, but I did say I’d be waiting right on the other side and I did say I’ll dry every tear you cry. Because you know I made a promise that I intend to keep, my grace will be sufficient in every time of need. My love will be the anchor that you can hold onto. This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you. Because you know I made a promise that I’ve prepared a place and someday sooner than you think you’ll see me face to face and you’ll sing with the angels and a countless multitude. So just keep on walking, don’t turn to the left or right and in the midst of darkness, let this be your light that hell can’t separate us and you’re going to make it through. This is the promise, this is the promise I’ve made to you.”
When I lost my wife of fifty years and had no family to which to turn for solace, God provided a large family of Christian brothers and sisters to give me love and support. He didn’t promise me a perfect life in His service, but He has made this life worth living and I know there is a perfect life waiting for me with Him when my my time here comes to an end. Life doesn’t get more real than that.