Will Your Faith Survive?

Josh slumped in the shadows, praying the school bell would ring. This school was not like his old one. He had spent the first fifteen years of his life in a small town, seeing the same people at school, church and the grocery store. It had been easy to be a leader, obey Christ, and stand for his convictions when almost everybody else felt the same way. 

But then his family moved and everything changed. The gang of thugs that owned the hallways of this mega high school had spotted him at once and the terrorizing began. "Is that a Bible?" one of them laughed when Josh's backpack spilled open. "Hey, preacher man, show us how you turn the other cheek!" After the first slap, the bullying never stopped.

At first, he tried to ignore it, but after a couple of weeks, he got angry. Why wasn’t God helping him? He began to reevaluate what he had always thought he believed. Acting like a Christian had never required anything from him back home. It was easy, even made him popular to be the leader of his youth group. But now he wondered: Was he truly committed to Christ or to an easy lifestyle?  Was his faith real or just a hand-me-down from his Christian family? 

The more he thought about it, the less he wanted it. By fall break, he had shoved the Bible into a bottom drawer, started partying, and did whatever necessary to be accepted by the cool crowd. The seed planted in his heart had fallen on the rocky soil of personal comfort, popularity, and fun. What he had called faith was only a reflection of the faith of others. When things got tough, it was not enough.

We are called to follow Christ, not an easy lifestyle. Will your faith survive when things get tough? 

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