Many people said to be a Christian is not easy. Likewise, we heard from same people that the life of an Olympian is not easy either because it requires rigid training. But what have made them overcomer? They have a dream and they visualize the outcome of their dream. It starts from their mind that gives birth to action. Bruce Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist said, “You have to train your mind like you train your body.” Practically, he is applying a cliché in reaching his dream: sports are 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Olympians are not all automatically prepared for the stress, pressure, and nerves during their physical tedious training. They have to work at it. As another gold medalist, Caitlyn Jenner said, “you have to train your mind like you train your body.” Overcoming the difficult times of physical training and diet start from their mind. It starts from what their mind can see in their dream.
This must be the reason why the Holy Scripture is full of amazing and magnificent images of what God has prepared for all those who overcome the difficult hurdles in life; like the mansion He Himself has prepared for us as our eternal abode (John 14:2), the eternal kingdom we are going to receive (Matt. 25:34) after we depart from our earthly body, the glorious incorruptible body like Jesus’ body that God will clothe us in a place that there’s no more death, no more tears, no more sorrows and etc. (Rev. 21:4) and many more. Hence, the Word of God is emphatic in Colossians 3:1-2, to exhort and admonish us on what to do while waiting for the inheritance God has secured for us in eternity. It says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” It’s only by doing this that we can say, to be a Christian is easy because God’s Word is forever true. Nothing can satisfy us but only God who gave us faith to endure whatever difficulties we encounter in our journey until we see the dawning of God’s reward to all those who persevere until we successfully passed through the tunnel where our faith is tested.
To visualize what we can’t see today with the limitless power that God has given us to imagine what God can wondrously do in our lives (Eph. 3:20) will surely make Christianity not only so easy to live by but will make our daily walk with Christ increasingly vibrant and exciting for God is a God of reward (Heb. 11:1).
Surely there’s no way to exchange fleeting pleasure with what God has in store for us that are to be revealed after we believe and do His bidding in accordance to the strength God has equipped us. We need to know Truth as a person, and know Him deeply.
All God’s awesome promises we have in the Holy Scripture are given to us so that the next time when somebody asks us if to be a Christian is an easy job we can give him or her a quick answer. “Yes,” because God is forever faithful. He is always with me to strengthen me (Phil. 4:13).