I know Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him in The Gospel of Matthew. What I didn’t know was that there would be so many hills along the way.
Isn’t that the Christian walk?

Recently, I received a call from a friend. He asked how my family and I were doing. Thankfully, at that moment, I could honestly say we were doing well. No major obstacles. No health issues. Things were steady.
Then I asked him how he was doing.

His response was so brutally honest that at first I laughed, thinking he was joking. Most men from my generation tend to hide pain behind humor. But there was a nervousness in his laugh, and right away I knew he wasn’t pulling my leg.
My friend was going through it.

He and his family were dragging their cross uphill. Not fun. Not pleasant. Just flat-out painful.

I wanted to be more of a listener than a problem solver, so I listened. And honestly, the hill he described felt familiar. I had been around this kind of pain before. In moments like that, it can feel as if help is nowhere to be found.

It’s almost like when your mom leaves you standing in line at the grocery store and says, “Stay here, I forgot something. Don’t go anywhere.” Suddenly the cashier finds a second wind and starts scanning items at lightning speed. The conveyor belt is moving full blast, your turn is next, and Mom is nowhere in sight. You start yelling, “Mom!” — but she’s nowhere to be found.

That’s how suffering can feel.

My friend was living in Epistle of James. And if you know that passage, then you know finding joy in the middle of testing can become a test all by itself.
Family problems. Financial strain. Loss here. Loss there. Loss everywhere.
So how do we find joy in the middle of all that?

Here’s where it gets interesting:
Joy isn’t a feeling.
Yes, you read that right. Joy is not a feeling. Joy is a living reality that resides within the believer. When everything in you is crying out for a break, you can still reach for joy.
God is not a liar. He inspired those words through the Apostle James. That means joy is present, even when emotions say otherwise. It lives within you because He lives within you.
How we carry our cross through those hills is often a choice.
But too often, instead of pulling out our “joy card,” we pull out the red card. Or, for those who understand American football, we throw the yellow flag and announce, “Flag on the play!”

Somewhere along the way, many of us were told that being a Christian meant a life of nonstop bliss, wonder, and comfort. Then the hills surprised us.

Friends, when those difficult moments come, cling tightly to the One who gives us hope — the One who gives us an eternal hope that never disappoints.
Before we hung up, I prayed for my friend. And somehow, deep down, I know he and his family will make it through this season.
Jesus will see to that.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 16:24-26
James 1:1-2
Romans 5:1-5