No One Said It Was Easy

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.”james five:thirteen through eighteen

No one said it would be easy. Have you ever heard the words ‘easy’ and ‘Crossfit’ used in the same sentence? If you have, that sentence has probably just left the mouth of someone who has yet to try Crossfit. On the outside, it doesn’t seem so bad. Jump on that box. Run that 400. Lift that moderately heavy weight. Repeat that 4 times. Easy enough. Right?

Those who have been doing Crossfit, whether a week or since the beginning will both agree. Easier said than done. But once you get going and begin to see things fall in place, the pay out is tremendous! Faster, stronger, leaner, healthier than you’ve been before!

A walk with Christ is the same. No one said it was easy. You know what following Christ and following Crossfit programming have in common. Suffering. Jesus was not a popular guy. He stood against the established religious system. He hung out with those who went unloved. He was crucified by the very people He was sent to redeem. Christ suffered. We, as His disciples, will suffer in turn. Though, we may not end up in a pit with giant rocks hurled at us, we may find out troubles coming in other forms. Bottom line is, we will come upon difficulty. 

The beauty of that, though, is we will not suffer alone! Jesus promised us the help we need will be found in the Holy Spirit. Beyond that amazing source of help, God has surrounded us with other people who share a passion for the same cause. We have the church to find comfort, support, and guidance through the tough times. Ring any bells?

As I write this, I am recovering from a brutal work out. It was discouraging, exhausting, and taxing both mentally and physically. Heck, it even struck up some emotion by the end of it. And you know who was there to help me though? Every other person who had finished that work out before me. They had gone ahead of me and knew what it felt like. They suffered the same pain and were able to offer me encouragement to press on and finish what I started. Even with the encouragement present from those who endured my same pain, it still hurt. It was still a challenge. And it was still up to me to press on. 

Is there an area of your life that you are suffering in? Is it too much to carry? Does it seem like it will never end? Take heart, because our suffering is only temporary. It will only last a season then God will bring the harvest. We don’t suffer in vain either. It is for the purpose to mold us more into the image of Christ. 

Remember, we are not meant to go through the pain of Crossfit and our walks with Christ alone. Surround yourself with a group of people who you can count on to rejoice in the successes and push you forward when you want to quit. No one said it was easy. No one also said you had to go it alone.