Who says Christians don't have to suffer?

Some people think nothing bad should happen to christians because they are children of God.  Well, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was not spared from suffering.  When Jesus predicts His death in the book of Mark 10, verse 34 states: "They will mock Him, spit on Him, beat Him with their whips and kill Him, but after three days, He will rise again."  So if we are His follows, should we be spared?  Christians go through many storms in their lifetime, but the good news is that His grace is with us and we are sure to come out victorious.

  A friend of mine compared christians to reeds growing in the middle of a river.  I pressed her to explain and I was amazed at her explanation.  Like these reeds, christians stand against all odds to survive.  When the flood comes, all sorts of debris are washed away down the river, sometimes over the reeds. They bend along with the flood.  Everything is carried away by this flood.  Then, the rain stops and the water level begins to go down.  After a few days, the reeds return to their normal form, while all other things are washed down into the dam or ocean.  This image of christians fascinated me, however this is true about christians.  As christians many storms will come our way, many floods will wash over us but just for a while.  In time by the grace of God we return to our old forms, only this time; stronger, as St James says in his letter:

James  1 : 2 - 4 "...Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything". 

 Let's not be deceived, for the war is against the followers of God, and as christians we should be on guard at all times so that we do not fall prey to this evil world. Let's be steadfast in our service to Him so that when He returns, He should find us worthy. He will return!

 Mathew 24 : 36  "However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son  himself.  Only the Father knows".