I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. -Romans 8:18
You haven't lived until you've heard a commanding female Brit announce that it's time for... "butt kickers". My sister-in-law, Marcee, visited over the holidays and enlightened me to the anywhere workout app called Sworkit (Click here to learn about Sworkit). I've been using the app to sweat out the mid-winter blahs in my living room guided by my trusty iPad and my disembodied personal trainer from the U.K.
Butt kickers are more than an exercise that gets the heart pumping. "Butt Kicker" is a label we can claim confidently for ourselves when Christ is our champion. That loss of a job, that chronic illness, that prodigal child, that dang infertility that has you stuck? Paul tells us these sufferings aren't even comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. The power of the gospel sustains us from day to day and reveals to others our hope in God's strength, not our own.
Let me state the obvious: life is hard. But God did not intend for us to trudge through life defeated. His power is at the ready for those who seek it. Read his words in the Bible (if you don't have one, your Smartphone will put it at your fingertips), pray for strength and peace, open your eyes to the small gifts God has placed around you, smile and expect joy to follow.
Regardless of your circumstances, my friend, Christ makes you a butt kicker. Grab hold of the truth and let the glory begin.