Jesus Didn’t Promise a Soft Life — He Promised a Worthy One
I’ve often said that life has a way of teaching us lessons we never signed up to learn. We are all trying to navigate a world that can often feel burdensome. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, financial struggles, broken relationships, disappointments, or simply the challenges of everyday life, we all face circumstances that test our faith, patience, and perseverance.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that some of life’s greatest lessons aren’t learned during our victories but through our struggles. I’ve also learned that having faith in God doesn’t mean we’re exempt from hardships. In fact, sometimes the road we are called to travel is the most difficult one. Just two weeks ago, I was speaking with Samira Hardcastle, the former Teacher of the Year who resigned from the Davidson County school system. A Nashville Teacher of the Year says she resigned after district leaders pressured her to change a failing student’s grade. Hardcastle, who was named the 2025–26 Teacher of the Year at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Antioch, left her position in May after eight years with Metro Nashville Public Schools.
At a school board meeting, Hardcastle alleged that administrators pressured her to alter the grade after a parent demanded that her daughter’s failing marks be changed. She also claimed that the district allowed the same parent, whom she said had harassed more than 30 teachers, to continue coming onto school property.
I had asked Samira, who is coincidentally my friend Pastor Brenda Bryant’s goddaughter, whether she had received criticism for coming forward. She told me that she had, and that even some members of her family did not really want her to speak publicly about the issues she witnessed during her teaching tenure. I admire her courage and conviction. There is no doubt that both children’s and parents’ behavior can contribute to the problems facing public education. I shared with her James 1:2–4, which I call the “Count It All Joy” passage when we face trials and tribulations:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James is not suggesting that we should enjoy pain, injustice, or hardship. Rather, he is teaching believers to view trials through the lens of faith. We can count them as joy because God can use them to strengthen our character, deepen our trust, and produce perseverance within us.
I often speak of “God-wink” moments—those unexpected circumstances that feel like divine reminders of God’s presence and purpose. Most believers can recall moments when an unlikely conversation, timely message, or seemingly random coincidence carried special meaning.
Recently, Samira and I met for coffee at Panera Bread, and I asked whether she had ever studied the story of Queen Esther. She smiled and showed me her tattoo, which references Esther 4:14:
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Was that a coincidence or confirmation? I call it confirmation.
Whether we are considering Samira’s journey, my own, or yours, we can find encouragement in knowing that God is able to use even our most difficult experiences for a greater purpose. Our trials may not make sense while we are going through them, but they can shape us in ways we may not yet understand.
Through it all, I’ve found comfort in one simple truth: Jesus never promised us an easy life, but He did promise us a life worth living.
Rather, He said: “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to eternal life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:14
We all want blessings, happiness, and fulfillment. No sane parent says, “I wish my children would misbehave,” and there’s never been a bestseller called How to Live an Unhappy Life. We naturally equate happiness with ease.
Jesus does promise blessing and fulfillment to those who follow Him – “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst” (John 4:14). But many are surprised to find His way is not easy. Sometimes, following Christ is downright difficult.
Struggles do not make you less of a Christian.
Blessing and hardship are not mutually exclusive. The disciples “left everything” to follow Christ, and the Lord promised them “a hundred times as much” in return (Mark 10:28-30). At the same time, He warned that all who follow Him must deny themselves and bear a daily cross (Luke 9:23). Hardship, yes – but hardship with a purpose, leading to joy.
The resistance is twofold: from without and from within.
From without, the world resists you. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus didn’t promise roses; He promised trials. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). False accusations, hearsay, envy, and gossip will be uttered against you – yet you are still the apple of God’s eye.
From within, the battle intensifies after salvation. All people are born with a nature bent toward sin – children don’t need to be taught how to misbehave. When you are converted, that sin nature does not disappear. God writes His law on your heart (Romans 2:14-15) and gives you the indwelling Holy Spirit to compel you toward righteousness (Romans 8:11). You become more aware of sin and you genuinely want to please Christ (Romans 8:14-16), but you still war with the flesh.
Paul, a bondservant of Christ, described it perfectly: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). “It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (Romans 7:17). He called it a war between the new man and the old (Romans 7:23) and cried, “What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:24).
If that is you – you fall and falter, you do what you don’t want to do – it does not reduce one bit the God that lives inside of you.
You fall seven times, but you rise eight.
This is the battlefield every believer lives on for a lifetime. But God, in grace and mercy, does not send you unarmed. He gives the faithful believer a full suit of armor (Ephesians 6:13).
Because God’s love is unconditional. He is our STRENGTH in our weakness, our CONFIDENCE in our fears, our JOY in our tears, and our GLORY and LIGHT in the seemingly dark and gloomy tunnel.
Temptations and confronting times will come, but they do not cancel His love.
So in whatever you do, do not forsake the unconditional love that Jesus Christ has shed for you. The Christian life is never easy, but the difficulties do not negate the joy. Consider Jesus, who “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed (Romans 8:18). The victory is already ours (2 Corinthians 2:14).
So if you are walking through a difficult time, do not assume that God has forgotten you. Samira’s courage is a reminder that speaking truth and standing firm can carry a cost, but God can use even those difficult choices for a greater purpose. The hardship may be painful, but it is not pointless. He can use your trials to strengthen your faith, refine your character, and position you to encourage someone else. Jesus never promised a soft life, but He promised to walk with us through every valley, sustain us through every battle, and lead us toward a glory that will outlast every struggle. The road may be narrow and the burden may be heavy, but with Christ, it is worthy—and we never walk it alone.
