Do Not Seek the Easy Path

God does not want His children to take the easy way out. He never did and we as His children should follow His example. God will take you through not necessarily out of danger. Ease can be a danger to your soul. The following story makes the point of the post:

A distinguished botanist, being exiled from his native land, obtained employment as an under-gardener in the service of a nobleman. While he was in this situation, his master received a valuable plant, the nature and habits of which were unknown to him. It was given to the gardener to be taken care of, and he, fancying it to be a tropical plant, put it into the hothouse (for it was winter), and dealt with it as with the others under the glass. But it began to decay. When the strange under-gardener asked permission to examine it, as soon as he looked at it, he said: "This is an Arctic plant, you are killing it by the tropical heat into which you have introduced it." So, he took it outside, and exposed it to the frost, and, to the dismay of the upper-gardener, heaped pieces of ice around the flowerpot; but the result vindicated his wisdom, for straightway it began to recover, and was soon as strong as ever.

Now, such a plant is the Christian's spiritual life in this world. It is not earthly difficulty that is dangerous to it, but ease. Put it into a hothouse; separate it from the wintry blasts of worldly hostility; surround it with luxury; hedge it in from every opposition, and you take the surest means of killing it." -- Rev. W. M. Taylor