ENDURING HARDNESS
The French have an expression that says, "La vie est dur, mais Dieu est bon." Translated, it means "Life is hard, but God is good." Truly, life has a way of throwing every one of us difficulties that test the limits of our endurance and our faith. Although scripture admonishes us to, "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you," we, nonetheless, are surprised by our trials as though we expect God to hide us from all adversity. The truth is, we are not exempt from the hardness of life, but we do have a Savior Who is ever with us through our struggles. "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) St. Paul ad