Did you know that Better and Easier are not the same thing? They are two different words with two separate meanings. What got me thinking about this was something my pastor said in church a couple of weeks ago– if you follow Christ, you would most definitely have a better life, although you wouldn’t be promised an easier life.
Let’s start with a few definitions from Dictionary.com–
Better–1. of superior quality or excellence;2. morally superior; more virtuous:3. of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc.; preferable
Easy–1. not hard to do : not difficult; 2. free from pain, trouble, or worry
We believe that easier is better and harder is worse. And that may be true in some instances. But it’s certainly not true when discussing our salvation transformation and subsequent growth in Christ.
I remember having a conversation several years ago with someone about this topic. The conclusion that this woman had come to was that Christians could expect a better (i.e. easy) life after turning to Christ. She believed that the verses in the Bible that talk about the joy, blessing, and peace of the Christian life translated into the word “easier”.
But if we study scripture we will see that they are not defined the same way.
I Peter 3 comes immediately to my mind, as does John 16:33. These passages talk about the trials and tribulations we should expect as believers. These trials do not sound easy to me.
And then we have passages that talk about the battles we will have with Satan (Ephesians 6:12; I Peter 5:8-9) and with our flesh (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:21-25). Again, verses that make Christianity sound like a battleground. So if it’s not easy and it’s not {always} pleasant, how can it possibly be better?
That’s a great question. One that needs to be looked at from a spiritual perspective instead of a material, carnal one.
God has promised in His Word to–
Give us peace (Isaiah 2:3)
Give us joy (John 15:11)
Answer our prayers (Matthew 7:7-8)
To supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19)
But if we can step outside of our short-term, earthly view, and study scripture, we will find out that God’s peace comes in the midst of trials, joy is not dependent on our circumstances, our prayers are only answered if our hearts desire what the Father desires, and our needs are defined by God, not by us.
When we can start to view things with a spiritual perspective, we start to realize that easy does not always mean better. And, while a life lived for Jesus Christ, isn’t always easy, it is certainly always better.