Life isn’t fair, and it’s often difficult if one is walking the narrow road that leads to heaven.

Christians have their share of trials, troubles, heartaches, failures, and sorrows.  There are those times when we feel like “life is hard; I’m all alone in this mess, and it will always be this way.”

Thankfully, this is not so!  When God allows more than we can handle to come into our lives He will be there to enable us.  Things that matter the most in this life and that will endure beyond it will cost the most in sweat, sacrifice, and suffering.  As we look into our rearview mirror on heaven’s highway, there will be no regrets for these.  The best of God’s servants have often been called upon to suffer the most or to pay their debts to God with their most precious coins.  The eleven disciples that walked with Christ and died with Divine approval paid a high price to do so.  Jewish history records the following.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Andrew was crucified in Western Greece and Simon in Iran.  Philip was hanged in Ethiopia and Thomas was speared to death in the West Indies.  Matthew was murdered by sword in Africa and Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.  James the brother of John was beheaded in Jerusalem.  Bartholomew was skinned alive while serving as a missionary in Turkey.  James, the son of Alphaeus was thrown out of a window in the Temple and clubbed to death when he hit the ground.  John, the writer of the books of John and Revelation (though he died of old age), was boiled in oil and exiled from his country.

We are reminded in Scripture that this world is not our home; we are pilgrims (immigrants) passing through here on our way to heaven.  Esther Rushtoi said it well in her loved hymn, When We See Christ.

                        Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,

                        We’ll cross the great divide, to glory safe at last;

                        We’ll share the joys of heav’n – a harp, a home, a crown,

                        The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burdens down.

                        It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

                        Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

                        One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

                        So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Dear reader, what ever you are facing or bearing – He knows, He cares, He helps.  Keep on trusting, keep on doing right; it will be worth it all.