Why is walking with Jesus so hard?

As a little girl when someone would describe Jesus I would think back to this painting my Granny has in her house. It is a picture of this brown headed, bearded young man, with light skin, soft eyes knocking at a door and the door opening. I used to gaze up at the picture and think man that is Jesus. That picture in my Granny's house is something that always comes to mind when I hear the word Jesus. The other thing that comes to mind is the phrase "Walking with Jesus".  When I was young I used to sometimes dream that I would walk with Jesus on the beach and all of my bad dreams would go away. So that phrase was always special to me as well.
    It was not until recently when I started hearing the phrase "Walking with Jesus" and thinking of the hardship of walking with Jesus can be. What I mean by this is the struggle that we as Christian’s face in our walk with God. Some Christian I know don’t think that being a Christian is hard, but what they are imply is that salvation is not hard.  But once a person is saved it can be very difficult.

This is where my question becomes WHY?????

Well it’s not because God decided he would just make it that way. We and people around us make it that way. Life in Christ is difficult because it contradicts the natural way of life.  There is nothing about the natural way of life that is compatible with Christ who lives inside of use.  So when we asked Christ to come live in side us, there is going to be trouble. Not external, but internal circumstances.

We as girls who have chosen to walk with God need to understand and see that life in Christ is going to difficult and that it is normal. Being a Christian especially a girl can be so difficult.  Some difficulties I see many girls face is friends making fun of their faith, pressuring of standards that contradict what God’s word says with clothes and guys, culture telling you constantly to buy into the lie that you have to look a certain way to have value.

Now these might just sound like normal everyday issues. But when we are Christians it can be hard to withstand temptations because our flesh wants us to buy into what the world has to tell us. But these trends, standards they are fading away but God standards never will.

John 2:17
And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

We as girls that want to serve God need to know that even when walking with God is tough, it is worth it. Life without Christ has no meaning. Your life walking with Christ has WORTH and therefore makes you WORTH MORE.  So know that even when it seems like culture, society, your friends, boyfriend, family or even yourself selfish desire make you want to give up, know that God is never giving up on you and has OVERCOME THE WORLD.

John 16: 33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."