By: Tim Woods | April 14, 2023
There have been a lot of advancements throughout history. The telephone (now cell phones), planes, trains, and automobiles (we even have self-driving cars now). Computers, cameras, science, and medicine. Sound equipment, lights, radios, TVs, Bluetooth, the internet (there are people right now that can watch and hear this in another country), and the list goes on. All these advancements are supposed to make life easier. But with each new advancement, there becomes a new challenge. Does life become simpler with the changes, maybe? Does life truly become easier, not really?
Looking Back
People look back and think, “Boy, what would I give to go back to the simple lifestyle of yesteryear.” We are always looking for the easy things. But let’s think about that last statement, “Was the past really easy?” No, maybe it wasn’t as complicated but easy, far from it. People had to work and work hard for everything that they had. Think about mealtimes. First, you had to pick or kill what you would eat. Prepare everything from scratch, no box meals, no fast food. Fast food was the deer you had to shoot! Hauling water, tending to the farm animals, cutting firewood for heat, or even cooking. Heaven forbid if you ate something that made your stomach upset and you had to make a trip to the outhouse at 2 am in 20° weather. Traveling across this nation of ours used to take weeks; now, in a matter of hours, we can jump on a plane and be in another country.
I can remember several years ago; we purchased a freezer from Home Depot. Over the course of a few years, that freezer kicked out and had to be repaired three times! Each time everything in it was lost. My mom and dad still have the same freezer they bought in the late 60s. It may not be the most efficient, and you have to manually thaw it out; not easy, but at least they didn’t have all their food wasted on three separate occasions. It shows you that they don’t make things like they used to.
Looking for the Easy Way
Gone are the days of the shade tree mechanic. The Bugatti Veyron held the title of “The fastest production car on the planet.” It takes 27 hours to change the oil, draining the fluid through 16 plugs. You have to remove the wheels, brakes, rear fenders, and engine fairing. The whole event costs $21,000! We are constantly trying to build things that are faster, bigger, and stronger, but at what cost? We are pushing the envelope on technology, but are we doing the same for our Christian walk?
Look at the way houses are made today versus the early 1900s. Back then, everything was built by hand. They invested in their work, and their craftsmanship was proof. Elegant and detailed woodworking throughout the house. We are now living in the age of manufactured homes and pole barn houses. The “I want it now, lifestyle.” Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with those styles of homes. We as a young married couple with a single-wide trailer. They do have a purpose. But we can’t model our Christian walk with that kind of mentality.
You don’t give a newborn baby steak and potatoes. They must learn on milk and then soft foods. The same can be said for a young Christian or babe in Christ. As one grows in Christ, one becomes more invested and learns more things about the faith. As they mature, they dive deeper into Theology, the steak, and potatoes, if you will. One can drown if one tries to go straight to the deep end of the pool. The “I want it now lifestyle” doesn’t work.
The Christian Path Is Not Easy
A lot of younger Christians look for a simple path through life. The passivity choice comes with a cost. They want to travel a path with the least resistance, a shortcut. They look for the least amount of work that they can get away with. Over time, the passivity choice will lead them down a wide path. Matthew 7:13, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” The “I want it now with all the bells and whistles, and I don’t want to work for it” simply will not work with our Christian walk.
The simple thing about our Christianity is this, faith, repentance, confession, and baptism. We are never promised an easy life after that; quite the contrary. Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” We may live a simple life as Christians, but simple is not easy!
Regardless of the “easy life” we try to live as Christians, we’ll never truly see “easy” on this side of Heaven. Dying to “self” daily is a battle. We must choose who or what will win our desires every day. Joshua 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” There is absolutely nothing easy about a battle. The choice is ours to make, no one else.
A life of engagement must be lived as a Christian. We must live our Christian life as a life of action. To die to “self,” there must be action taken. We must fight against temptations (Luke 22:46, “Then He said to them, ‘Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’”), be passionate in our walk with God (Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”), and persevere against the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11, “ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”). Not once was “easy” mentioned.
About the Author
Tim Woods lives in West Frankfort, Illinois. He works in youth ministry at First Christian Church in West Frankfort, IL and is furthering his studies at Veritas Theological Seminary.
Copyright 2023. Bellator Christi.
