As I was self reflecting on the past one day I came to the realization that my concept of being a follower of Jesus as a child was definitely misconstrued. I grew up with the common false impression that as soon as one is “saved” their life becomes full of happiness, sunshine, and rainbows. While there are an infinite amount of reasons why giving my life to God and trying my best to serve him was the best decision I have without a doubt ever made, I don’t think that people talk enough about the hardships and turmoil that come along with adopting this lifestyle. I always joke with people and say that my life became 10 times more difficult when I started living for God. However, the immeasurable amount of peace even on my worst of days is what makes it all worth it.
Sin is something that everyone wants to talk about as long as they feel it does not pertain to them. Sin is a wide varying topic that is hard to accept when it comes to our personal lives. I would say that sin and unhealthy life decisions were and are still the hardest part of my life while I am trying to live fully for God. There are so many aspects of our lives whether they may be every day struggles or even parts of our social lives that could be doing more harm than good. I never realized how selfish I was until I decided to fully live for someone who wasn’t myself. When I made the decision to live my life for God I tried doing so while not giving up anything in my life that I “enjoyed” (sin) but that was ultimately unhealthy for my life. There were so many little aspects of my life that to most people seem normal but were making my life so much harder…
I say all of this to say even as cliché as it is… THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. The most important piece of advice that that I have to continuously give to myself and others is that it is okay to capitol s struggle as a follower of Jesus. Everyone has their demons whether they admit it or not and some days those demons are louder that others. The most important part of living a life of following Jesus is to not become obsessed with perfection…and this is coming from a person that wants for nothing but perfection. Being a follower of Jesus is a marathon…not a sprint and everyones’ journey is different it its own special way. It may take you years to figure out a piece of your journey while it takes someone else only weeks to figure out the same thing and that is 100% okay!! This is the beauty of living a life dedicated to God.
“After your season of suffering, God in all his grace will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10
While your struggles and demons in life my never seem to fully go away even when you feel that you are doing everything that God is asking you to do, the overflowing amount of peace that comes from this relationship is worth every struggle. I can personally attest to what life looks like trying to do it own your own and I can truly without a doubt say that a life with God by my side is something I would not give up for anything. Even on my worst of worst days within my own personal struggles I know at the end of the day God has everything under control when it’s out of my hands. Whether you are someone who has recently decided to live your life for God or someone who has been on this journey for what seems like your whole life…there is no such thing as being a perfect follower of christ. You WILL struggle. You WILL question. You WILL sin. You WILL falter in your faith. But the beauty of the struggle in your relationship with God is that he will be there through all of this to support you and give you the strength to live a life dedicated to him. What else could we ask for but to be covered in God’s unconditional love?
Faithfully Present 