The Hard Times

"They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said."
(Acts 14.21-22)
The "they" in this Scripture is the Apostle Paul and Barnabas: leaders, church planters, evangelists, and overseers in the early church. Certainly, they knew what it meant to "go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God," as did many in the early church. But what about us?
None of us like hardships, trials, and pain, me especially! But as I look back over my life, though I would not have chosen the hard times, it seems that I grew much more in those hard times than when everything was going right and I felt like I "had the world by the tail." There's something about hard times that knock me off my high horse, humble me, and force me to look to God for help, direction, and deliverance. In fact, it is in those times that I have learned to trust God the most. How about you?
One thing about it, the hardships, trials, and pain we face are an opportunity to trust God in ways we never have before and for our faith to grow dramatically. When these hard times come, our sisters and brothers in Christ can help us move from bitter to better, just as Paul and Barnabas were "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith." May we do the same for each other in the church today!