"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this." - 2 Timothy 2:3-7
Being a Christian is not meant to be easy. If people think everything was meant to be just peachy after accepting Jesus into their lives, they are terribly mistaken. Your eyes begin to be opened to the things around you. People begin to hate you more than you could imagine. People will do whatever they can to bring you down because you are a child of the Lord. They don't like Jesus. . . and that's just something that will have to cause one to cling to Him more and gain strength in, or cower away because they fear their peers more than God.
I believe this scripture helps us understand that we are going to have to prepare for spiritual battle and do whatever we can to follow Jesus through the hardships, as a soldier would have to toughen up for the things they will face in battle. We need to stand up and find strength in the Lord and obey Him no matter how rough the road becomes for us.
