Want An Easy Life?

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. 

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. 

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

~John 16:33 

"Why is life so hard?  Why can't it be simple?"  I have heard this, and said this, many times.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything in life was easy?  And I remember something my parents taught me from an early age, if it's easy it's not appreciated.  I was taught that if I wanted an allowance every week, then I had chores to do.  If I didn't do my chores, and do them well, then I would not receive the allowance.

Keeping that in mind, consider this: Jesus stated "Here on earth you WILL HAVE trials and sorrows."  There's no question about that! We are going to have struggles.  But these struggles are not meant to destroy us, but to strengthen us!  Now, there ARE people who seem to believe that they shouldn't have to do anything because they expect others to give them everything.  This is not life!  This is being a slave to convenience!

When you have a rough spot on a piece of wood, what do you do?  You use sandpaper (which is a rough surface) to smooth out the rough spot.  The friction and the scraping of one rough surface against another produces a smooth surface.  Hmmmm....."Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" - Proverbs 27:17

Life is rough?  Good! Because if it were easy we would have no adventure.  If it were easy we wouldn't learn anything.  If it were easy, it wouldn't be a life, it would be merely an "existence."   If it were easy, we wouldn't need to turn to God.