I’m not a Christian because it makes my life easier;
to the contrary, it makes my life harder.

It’s easier to fear
than it is to love

It’s easier to hold grudges
than it is to forgive

It’s easier to despair
than it is to hope.

For me,
it’s easier to resent how life has turned out
than to accept it.

And yet my Chistian faith requires -- commands --
me to do, to choose the more difficult of these alternative paths

It’s easier to deceive yourself than to
see the truth (& yourself)
as it (you) truly are.

It’s easier to dissemble & rationalize
It’s harder to have integrity

It’s easier to project invulnerability
It’s harder to let down your guard &
show your weaknesses

It’s easier to be lazy & self-indulgent
It’s harder to suck it up & do what needs to be done

It’s easier to go along w/ the crowd
It’s hard - very hard- to ignore
the crowd & follow your inner voice

It’s easier to be indifferent
It’s harder to persistently love those
who are indifferent to you

It’s easier to act superior
It’s harder to be humble

It’s easier to be materialistic
It’s harder to practice self-denial

It’s easier to pat myself on the back
It’s harder to keep my head down

It’s easier to deny that my actions have consequences;
it’s harder to take responsibility for
my actions & their consequesnces

It’s easier to believe, in this evil
world, there is no God
It’s harder to understand that there is one

It’s easier to believe my life doesn’t matter,
it’s harder to know that nothing matters more.