A true Christian life never grows easy, never becomes entirely agreeable to our natural tastes. Every day is, in a certain sense, a crucifixion, a nailing of self on the cross. But this very hardness is a means of grace. The cross lifts us upward. We grow under the burden of our daily duties and cares. So it comes that the things we would like to be freed from are the things we could least afford to lose. What we consider our disadvantages may really be our most indispensable advantages. We grow best under pressure, under the hard necessity of toil and care.