I remember when I first started riding my motorcycle I had a bit of apprehension, and I'm sure some of that is healthy. After all, putting a combustion engine and gas tank between your legs and heading on down the road is not the safest thing you could do with your time.
So each night I would come home from work and the first thing I would do is hop on the bike. I had what I saw as my "fear meter," at first, 30% of what I was feeling was fun, with the remaining 70% being fear.
But with each ride, I matured, and that scale changed until the fear was tucked away where it should be. Fear became a healthy respect of riding, but not something that stops me from riding.
But in those early days, I had to overcome the fear in order to ride. I knew this was something I wanted to do, so I had to battle the fear every time. I did this by looking forward to the day when the fear would be gone and I would have nothing but the pure joy of riding.
That's how we get through difficult times, we have hope of a better tomorrow.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) says of Jesus, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Jesus was looking to the moment when he could say, "it is finished," and know that he reconciled the world to his Father. That is how he got through the pain of the cross.
No matter what this life throws at us, we do have a paradise waiting for us. This life is not all there is, and there are times when we need to remember that to get through the day.
