Is It All Really Worth It?

Is it all really worth it…everything you are doing for Christ? This is a concept I’m pondering after overhearing a conversation by a veteran this week.

Is It All Really Worth It?

Yesterday I went to see the movie Top Gun Maverick (which was excellent, by the way). As I was walking into the theater, an older couple was navigating the steps to their seats.

Another couple was already seated, and they helped the older couple find the correct row for their seats. The seated man noticed the standing man’s cap – I assume by his age it said he is a veteran of the Korean War – and thanked him for his service.

The veteran then replied, “Thank you, but I don’t know if it was all really worth it, looking at the state of our country now.”

Wow.

His reply stopped me in my tracks.

He felt his years of service in the U.S. military may have not been worth it, based on the state of our country now?

How very, very sad.

When You Wonder If It Is All Really Worth It

I can’t say I disagree with the veteran’s sentiments. I’m sure he felt he was fighting for a different country than the messy, politicized, divided, deeply selfish and post-Christian United States than the one he experienced in the 1950’s.

My paternal grandpa was a proud veteran of the Korean War, and expressed similar sentiments. I’m glad that he has been in heaven since 2012 and hasn’t had to see the cultural changes of 2020, which would have broken his heart.

My heart also breaks for the state of our country, especially as a mom of three teens. I wrote about it in this post, 5 Ways to Live With Hope in a Declining Culture.

However, I most certainly think that the service of all veterans, past and present, was definitely worth it. Despite all its flaws, the United States is like a city on a hill, still the beacon of freedom to the world. We are still known for being generous and sending out more missionaries than any other country – now even within our own country.

The more I learn about the persecuted church from Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors, the more I understand the incredible privilege of being born in the U.S. In fact, it’s not just a privilege – it’s a responsibility.

All the freedoms and blessings I have are like the five talents given to one person in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25. Being born American means you are automatically the person with five talents – the highest amount that was given. It’s our responsibility as five-talent people to invest what we’ve been given for God’s glory – and I believe the easiest way to do this is to share encouragement on social media.

But if you’ve been a Christian for a long time in this country, and your heart is weary from the negative headlines, maybe you are wondering if it is all really worth it – does this Christian life really make any difference? Let’s explore this question.

Why It Is Really Worth It

I have an answer based on one of the most encouraging books I’ve read this year, called Contagious Faith. I’m sharing a long excerpt here:

Finally, an encouraging quote to consider:

Nothing – absolutely nothing – could be more important than discovering and using your unique faith-sharing style in order to lead people to the Savior and then equip them to do the same. It’s the primary purpose for which God left us on this planet! And in the end, the family members and friends you reach will thank you, God will bless and reward you, and you’ll feel an unending sense of gratitude, knowing he used you to impact lives, both now and forever.

So, lift up your eyes. Expand your vision. God is building his kingdom, and the King is calling you to get on the frontlines of the effort. Trust that he can use you, find your style, work to develop it, and take risks to put it into play. One thing’s for sure: He will use it in ways you can’t yet fathom.

The great thing about this book is that it teaches you practical ways to share your faith based on your own God-given personality. I highly recommend it to you.

Yes, It Is Really Worth It!

If you are serving God with your whole heart, yes, it is really worth it!

All the suffering, heartache, tears, sweat, and blood. All the spiritual warfare. The broken relationships, humiliations, persecutions. The choices to abstain or be different from everyone else. The sacrifices of time, energy, money, and prayers you think are going unheard. Hours on the real and spiritual battlefields, spent in exhausting combat.

Why? Because from a heavenly perspective, a harvest is already waiting to be reaped from the seeds we are planting now:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9 NIV

It’s good to keep our eyes focused on what God is doing through us now when we wonder if it is all worth it:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

I don’t know what you are suffering now that makes you wonder if it is all really worth it. But God does.

• He sees your heart, your efforts, your desires for all things to be made new and right and holy again (Rev. 21:5).
• He is working justice on your behalf (Luke 18:1-8).
• He sees your sacrifices and courage, like he sees the acts of the brave soldiers who will never get movies made based on their lives (Gen. 16:13)
• He knew exactly what he was doing when he brought you into this world at this specific time (Est. 4:14), because he has great plans for your life (Jer. 29:11), right in this generation.

Everything you do for the Lord is worth it. You may be blessed to see the results now or in the near future. Or you may have to wait until you get to heaven to see the results. Either way, God is doing good things through you as you continue to invest the talents and blessings he gave you. So don’t quit, and praise God every day for calling you to serve him right here, right now.

Is It All Really Worth It?

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