Will You Still Follow Him When It’s Hard?

Sixteen years ago, while recovering from a divorce, a surgery for a broken neck, and a year’s worth of gnarly cancer treatments, I wrote an essay (mostly for my own good) on the topic of enduring in the faith and why I resolved to continue following Jesus as best I knew how. As I’ve been in a more recent season of difficulty (another neck surgery and the complications that have followed), I’ve revisited the subject. If you’re in your own version of suffering from whatever source, maybe my meager thoughts will inspire in you the courage to endure.

You can find the essay here. Spoiler alert, it is rather long, so you might want to read it in chunks if at all.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

[BTW, I wrote a ton of other stuff on suffering during that early season. You can find a number of other posts (most of them much shorter) on the subject. Go to my site, scroll down to “Select Categories” and scroll to “On Suffering.”]