(51 pages)

We all tend to dream and fantasize about life without trouble; we would like to think that there is a state of mind or even a place in life where hard times never come. Some people have decided to

find that place or state and seem so determined that they will even suspend reality to find it. Christians have sometimes been led to believe that if they try hard enough or believe strongly enough, they will be rescued from trouble, obstacles and hard times. They tend to judge themselves and others rather harshly for not knowing the secret or achieving the goal. They feel sure the next novel insight or the next radical commitment will get them over the hump.

God doesn’t offer escape as his solution to difficulty, but rather grace. The grace provided through the gospel of Jesus Christ embraces trouble and transforms it into a display case for God’s glory. Those who

have come to know him personally will inevitably change their goal in life from one of personal ease to one of glorifying God. Once they have tasted the sweetness of living for another the taste for ease and comfort as the significance of life becomes bitter. They long to live in grace and grace excels in the midst of difficulty.