Why Do We Shy Away?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:19-28 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ John 14:27-31A ~~~

Do you believe that hardships are part of your spiritual life?
How, if possible, can they make one stronger?
The disciples were thrown out to be stoned to death.

Paul did not let incidents like this stop him.
He was not deterred from the destination.
Paul believed that the destination
was beautiful; the hardships would not stop him.

The destination was being united with Jesus for all of eternity.
We are all on the identical journey...
to reach the same destination...the Kingdom of God.

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Sometimes we are tempted to pray for a pain free life.
Often we pray that our loved ones will be spared
 from unnecessary hardships and pain.

But why, do we shy away from hardships?
What are we afraid of?

Even Jesus faced hardships, the agony in the garden for instance.
Jesus asked the Father to spare him from the passion and death.

The person you most want to become
 will not happen without enduring the necessary hardships.

The desire to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven
gives us the courage and strength to endure our hardships.
It is in our hardships when we most need
 to cling to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"If we believe that tomorrow will be better,
we can bear a hardship today."
-Thich Nhat Hanh-

Everything in life has a purpose and a reason..
not to discourage us but to encourage us
to believe that the last tomorrow
will be the best.
We will be very close
 to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessings in hardships
with eyes fixed on the destination...
the Kingdom of Heaven.
~Peace~