Hard or Easy?

Is Christianity hard or easy? 

In this season of Lent, when we are doing our best to put into action the three pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, it appears that the obvious answer to whether Christianity is hard is YES. Looking back on Jesus’ first followers up until today, Christians have been persecuted for their beliefs. We know that it takes strength to resist temptation and sin as we are faced with decision after decision to either grow closer to Jesus Christ or turn away. We prefer comfort. We lack patience. We are called to forgive. I think we could all come up with a list of reasons why Christianity is hard. 

When I asked the internet if Christianity was hard, it told me the #1 answer for this question: It's supposed to be hard. Alright, internet. I see you. You’ve scanned thousands and thousands of web sites, and you’re telling me that Christianity is supposed to be hard. I think we can agree with that, knowing that our faith was founded on Christ's passion and death. Jesus tells us, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Since I love seeing if a question I have has been answered with a Father Mike Schmitz video, I searched for Father Mike’s wisdom on whether Christianity was hard. His answer wasn’t the same as the top answer on the internet. His answer: The Christian Life IS Impossible

If you have about nine minutes, I encourage you to watch Father Mike’s message. At first glance, the thought of the Christian life being impossible appears deflating. But the declaration of it being impossible brings us to the crux of life with Christ. We can’t do it alone. Therefore, the Christian life IS impossible…when we try to do it on our own.

We 100% need God’s grace and mercy. Every day. Every hour.

This humble reminder is what makes Christianity impossible on our own. This humble reminder is also what makes Christianity possible (dare I say easy?) for each of us. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus, and God promises that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9) and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1). His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

The very reason Christianity is impossible is because we have removed Christ from our lives. When we invite Him back in, He generously provides His grace and His mercy. 

We are imperfect. We don’t love perfectly. Others are imperfect. They don’t love perfectly. And yet, Christianity exists amidst this imperfection. It exists because of our imperfection.

This Lent, let’s knock down the barrier that Christianity is hard. Doing things on our own is what is hard and what seems impossible. We can do hard things when we seek God’s grace and His mercy.