“Christ is King, but life’s still hard.”
I looked at his lined, weathered face and thought I’d rarely heard a better seven-word sermon. I also thought I likely had no idea what “hard” meant in his world.
It’s easy to discover the truth of either half of my friend’s statement. When the sun shines and all the traffic lights are green, it’s easy to count our blessings and praise God. When everything’s going great, praise songs and “Christ is King!” seem like the most natural thing in the world.
But imagine my friend, trying to peer over the edge of addiction, clinging by his fingernails and hoping he won’t slip back into the abyss. When you’re a few months from desperation, “Life’s still hard” makes complete sense.
The simple, difficult reality: like my friend, we live in the tension between these two realities. I think we miss something whenever we lose sight of either side.
I hope I’ll stop in the midst of trial or pain to remind myself: Christ is indeed King. I don’t advocate platitudes in place of love and empathy, but I also don’t want to forget that Jesus walks with me in times of trial.
On the other hand, we can get so focused on worship that we discount the hard realities faced by others. Jesus spent much of His time comforting those folks, and reminded us that in this world we would have our share of trouble.
Life’s still hard. We face the hardship with hope because Christ is King.
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GREAT reminder, Rich!