Welcome to Whispers of Grace.
As an artist and religion scholar, I hope to offer something honest and personal, as I navigate the same world and serve the same God as you. I pray these reflections bring you value when you read them, as they do for me when I write them.
-Rondall Reynoso
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Enduring in Faith When the Way Gets Hard
(Hebrews 10:36)
Read online.
“For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised.”
Hebrews 10:36 NRSVue
Reflection
I have bad news.
The life of faith is difficult.
Throughout most of my life, the Church has sold a version of the faith that tells people they should follow Jesus because He will make their lives better. There is truth to that.
A life of faith should lead us toward Shalom, peace. But this is not a peace that represents a lack of conflict. It is a peace representing a life of purpose, contentment, and fulfillment.
Some may object to this perspective, rightly claiming that Jesus said His yoke is easy and we should come to Him for rest. But Matthew follows those words of Jesus with a story in which Jesus teaches that mercy transcends the temple law. Christ’s yoke of mercy is light compared to the yoke of temple sacrifice.
At the same time, the life of faith is a life of love, a sacrificial love. Just a few chapters later in Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples that following Him requires them to deny themselves, to give up their very lives, to take up their cross and follow Him.
While a life of authentic faith is not weighed down by ceremonial sacrifices, it still bears the weight of love, and loving others is not easy.
We must endure, time and time again, choosing love rather than hate. We must persist in leaning into humility rather than pride. We must abandon our desires for revenge and trust in God’s justice. None of that is easy.
To make matters worse, there will be times when the powerful take advantage of the faithful, and we are still to love them despite how we are spitefully used by them. That is a difficult task.
Living a life of faith is very challenging. We will get tired of it. We will cry out to God about it. But ultimately, we must learn to rest in Him.
Love, humility, dependence… these are God’s will. These are what earn a reward. It is difficult to endure in Christ’s way in a world that encourages us to seek power and strength.
