Walking
up the path in the rain, we were not convinced that it was worth
the hike. Sara, the girls
and I had spent a week in
Oregon and we had seen a lot of waterfalls, so the thought of one
more was not
all that exciting, but we grit our teeth and kept going.
Grit
your teeth and keep going. That
must
have been how the churches in the book of Revelation felt. Seven churches, each facing
different
struggles, were told to hang on and keep trudging. More specifically, Jesus
tells each of them
that they will win the prize if they overcome their circumstances,
their own selfish
desires and even Satan himself (Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 26; 3:5;
12; 21). This is good
advice. Life does not
always go in logical, straight lines
and what you need may be right around the corner, just out of
sight. Many blessings come
after holding on and
overcoming. Sometimes you
just have to
keep going.
Back
to
Oregon for a moment: As we
were trudging
up the mountain, we met an older couple going back down. When they saw us, their faces
lit up and they
said, “Oh the waterfall is beautiful!
Best one we have ever seen! You will love it!” Suddenly, our attitudes
changed. Instead of
trudging miserably along, we walked
with anticipation. At
every corner, we
sped up wondering if this was when the waterfall would come into
view.
I
have
come to believe that hope and expectation are two of the most
important
attitudes that we can cultivate in our lives.
The belief that something good is coming changes the way we
approach
each day and every event that we face.
Especially for believers, life should not be a joyless
struggle. Rather, because
of Jesus’ death, burial and
resurrection, our lives ought to be marked with joy, hope and
anticipation!
To
be
sure, there will be times when you must put your head down and
just keep
going. However, it is much
easier to do
so when you know that there is something beautiful waiting just
around the corner.
“I have told you these things,
so that in me
you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have
overcome the world” (John 16:33).
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