Hard Fought Happily-Ever-After – By Thomas Koester

Love is worth the battle — You are worth battling for. Don’t surrender, your story is not over!

An adversary and a battle always precedes a happily-ever-after. Not only is this true for every romance and marriage, but it is also true of our faith. Storytellers and movie-makers are consistently using this theme over and over again.

What kind of romance, marriage or faith would there be without an adversary and without a battle? Wouldn’t a movie or story be boring without an adversary and without battle?

After all, adventure, battle and beauty is within our DNA — within the very depths of our hearts and souls.

Matter of fact, the themes of an adventure, battle and beauty is actually borrowed from God’s story of his crowning creation, that is Adam and Eve. First he creates them, then loses them to the Serpent’s craftiness. Then, God pursues his creation until he later rescues mankind back from the Adversary by sending our rescuer, Jesus Christ the Righteousness One.

Not only does God rescue those he lost, but his Son delivers a death blow to our most wretched adversaries, Sin and Death!

“Will I ransom them from the power of the grave? Will I redeem them from death’s hold? Death, where are your diseases? Grave, where is your victory? – Hosea 13:14

“Death’s sting is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” – 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

“But the LORD says, “The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.” Isaiah 49:25

And, for those who believe, this is not quite the end of God’s story — not by a long shot! He is preparing a place for us, our happily-ever-after. A place where all adversaries, including sin death, disease and the devil; where all loss, decay and brokenness, and even our tears, will be forever vanquished.

So, don’t despise hardships and adversities, with it comes a life worth living and a God who, not only loves to come through for his children, but trains us through our adversities and battles, to come through for those whom we love, including strangers that God brings across our paths.

“A song of David. Praise the Lord! He is my Rock. He prepares me for war. He trains me for battle.” Psalms 144: 1.

Happily-Ever-After is worth the scars and setbacks, for life and true living are their reward.

“But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” – Hebrews 10:39

Stand your ground. Cling to your faith. Be brave and upright. Hold to the truth. Love fiercely and never give up on others.

“For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18

“What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Engage your battles as a victor and never as a victim. For you are a true Child of God after all and your Heavenly Father, well He’s the God of the Angel Armies!

God is your happily-ever-after. He fights for you!