Hardship

Why do Catholics face hardship?

Why are bad things a part of a good Christian's life? First, lets make something absolutely clear: Jesus never promised us easy lives in return for following him. Original sin has corrupted our world. Pain and strife are a part of our everyday lives, no one is exempt from it. It is a common misconception for people to believe that, because they are good Catholics, they therefore should have easy life's. That is only fair after all, isn't it? Doesn't that make sense? Shouldn't the good people have good lives? Not really. Besides, how can someone truly be a good Catholic without hardship. Our faith must be tested if it is to be proven. We must face every challenge with confidence in the lord and the belief that he will see us through it. Hardship builds faith.

That explanation can also answer questions like; "If God loves us so much, why doesn't he just will away our problems when we ask him to?" The answer is confusing, but very true. Sometimes God helps us by not helping us. God sees our problems and are hardships and he pities us with all his heart, but he also sees a greater good. God, in many cases, will see that a problem that we face will only make us stronger, more faithful, and a better person in the long run.

So he allows us to suffer.

Out of his infinite love for us, he allows us to suffer. He allows us to suffer so that one day our suffering will pay off upon entrance into his Kingdom of Heaven.

But is that God is? A bystander who simply realizes that our pain is for the best and is content to let it continue until will die? in my experience, absolutely not. Life is wonderful, it is made more wonderful by the overcoming of challenges and the hard work of the soul. More often than not, God will reward us for our faith long before we enter heaven. I cannot think of a time where I asked God for help with something and one way or another, whether I expected the solution or not, or no matter how long it took, he came through. These are the times that I stuck it out. times I realized that I was being tested and kept on going. Times I did not give up. I also know that I am not the only one, people all over the world have experienced the answer to all our problems: God. These instances are solidifiers of the faith. Events and memories that remind us that God is real and present throughout or lives, and reminders of his infinite love for us.