Why Is Life Hard?

A couple of years ago, our garbage disposal broke. I’m not a handyman, so I called a plumber. In the course of conversation, he said, “As a pastor, all you have to do is keep a smile on your face and treat people nicely.” He added that I was nothing but a salesman. I told him I don’t always have a smile, and I don’t always treat people nicely. Why? Because life is harder than that.

There are discouraging events, trials, tribulations, and difficult people. It isn’t my calling to paste a smile over those realities. As Christians, we shouldn’t whitewash difficulty. We call evil evil (Isa. 5:20), and we acknowledge pain and loss for what they are. We do not pretend all is well when it is not. We are not Stoics trying to rise above suffering by sheer resolve. Life in a fallen world is often hard (John 16:33). There is real suffering. As Christians, we acknowledge it, grieve it (Rom. 12:15), and sometimes feel deeply discouraged by it (2 Cor. 1:8). Yet we neither wallow in it nor deny it (1 Thess. 4:13).

God’s people suffer because we live in a world marked by affliction. Sin entered through one man (Rom. 5:12). The devil prowls (1 Peter 5:8). Creation groans (Rom. 8:20–22). Death remains an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26). In fact, Christians should not be surprised by hardship. This world is not our home (Heb. 13:14). As our Lord was persecuted, so His people will be persecuted (John 15:20).

Yet our affliction unfolds under the sovereign eye of God. He sets its boundaries (Job 1:12; 2:6). Suffering is not endless; it has an expiration date. There is a determined measure of affliction the church must endure before Christ returns (Acts 14:22; Rev. 7:14).

In Revelation 6:9–11, the martyrs cry out, “O Sovereign Lord . . . how long?” They are told to rest “until the number of their fellow servants . . . should be complete.” Their suffering is neither accidental nor infinite. There is a number known to God. Hardships are real—but they are not ultimate. They will end.

So, we seek to endure.

You may say, “But you don’t know what I’m going through.” That’s true. I don’t know it as you do. In 2 Corinthians 4:8–10, Paul writes, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed . . . always carrying in the body the death of Jesus.” Everything seemed touched—his body, ministry, and circumstances (2 Cor. 11:23–28). The Christian is identified with Christ in His death (Rom. 6:5; Phil. 3:10). If suffering marks your path, you are walking in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21).

But we are not only identified with Him in death. We are identified with Him in resurrection: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also” (2 Cor. 4:14). The suffering Savior is now risen and reigning (Rev. 1:17–18). And He is with you (Matt. 28:20). Because He lives, you can endure (John 14:19).

The help we need comes from One who has suffered. The eternal Word became flesh (John 1:14). Christ bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4–5). He suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). We do not have a high priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15). Our pain is not foreign to Him.

How do we know this? Because “He . . . did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32). God demonstrates His love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). The cross settles the question of His heart toward His people. He is for you. Therefore, you can endure.

Endurance, however, is not easy. Paul admits, “Our outer self is wasting away,” though “our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). There is real attrition. Bodies weaken. Energy fades. But God strengthens the inner man. His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). As suffering increases, so does His comfort.

Without Christ, even small afflictions can overwhelm. With Christ, even heavy burdens can be borne. Your trial is not greater than His grace. Your losses are not greater than His love.

Paul reminds us, “The things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). Hardships are temporary. God is eternal. Keep looking to Him (Heb. 12:1–2). Keep walking by faith. Keep serving Him steadfastly.

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). That does not belittle hardships; it puts them in perspective. A lifetime of hardship cannot compare with eternal glory (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 5:1).

Yes, this season feels hard. It may feel long. But while “weeping may tarry for the night,” know that “joy comes with the morning” (Ps. 30:5). His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22–23), and an everlasting morning is on the horizon (Rev. 21:4).

So, we do not deny hardship. We name it. We grieve it. We sometimes stagger beneath it. But we do not surrender to it. The Son of God who suffered for us now reigns for us (Heb. 1:3). And because He is for us, we can endure.