As I was watching the movie “Case for Christ,” so many memories came alive as if I was watching another movie in my head, the movie of how I myself came to Christ. The scene that touched my heart the deepest is the baptism scene because I remember when I got baptized, that was during the worst, the most hopeless, and the darkest time of my life. That was the time when I lost everything, including the family I loved and held so dearly in my heart. That was also the time when fear was the strongest, the fear of deportation. Nevertheless, I decided to get baptized at that moment because I thought if I got deported at that time, it would be a lot more difficult to get baptized in Vietnam, so let’s do that in America when I still had a chance. Little did I know that one single decision in the midst of all the chaos and fear completely changed my life. A few months after my baptism, I got a full scholarship to college, which saved my dreams. That was the first time I learned the power of prayer. Another extremely valuable lesson I learned from that experience is the procedure of how trials work and how our faith is constantly tested. Before the rainbow, the storm is always the scariest, and the rain is always the heaviest. It’s always been that way. But the good news is that the rainbow will come, the storm will calm down, and the rain will stop. Before Joseph got to the high court, he was mistreated, betrayed by his own family, and sold into slavery. Before Daniel glorified God’s name, he experienced exile as a prisoner of Babylon. The ultimate example of this is that before Christ resurrected and claimed his reward at the throne of heaven, he was crucified on the cross. So perhaps the more difficult it gets, the closer we are to our reward. Perhaps the severity of our trials reveals the magnificence of what’s waiting ahead of us: a reward from God. If that’s the case, when we face trials in life, perhaps we should do something so unconventional and irrational that the world will call us crazy: we should get excited, we should celebrate, for we have a certainty, a guaranteed hope that our reward is worth the price we have to pay.

When I was 15, I left everyone and everything behind in Vietnam, including my own family, to come to America. I came to this country with a dream: an Ivy League education, a dream toward Harvard. Little did I know, more than 10 years later, this dream finally came true. It’s not Harvard, that’s ok. It’s actually Yale instead. One month before I got the congratulation call from Yale, there was one trial after another. It felt as if the trials would never end. I almost got into a car accident on a typically rainy day in Florida. I couldn’t see anything outside the windshield, and it was quite a scary moment. Work got intense with new projects and colleagues. I kept failing my test no matter how hard I studied for the exam. Every single day was a struggle, full of anxiety and multiple negative what-if scenarios in my mind. Yet something is different this time. Through all of this, I felt hope. After going through many trials with God, I learn the secret. I know the drill. Before a big reward, the trials are always at their worst because that’s the price to pay. If the reward ahead of us is not that awesome, Satan wouldn’t be fighting this hard. So there’s a positive correlation between the two entities: the more difficult the trials, the better the reward. In this case, suffering is an assurance that the answer is a yes. From this experience, I finally understand what it means in Hebrews 11:6 “and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I wonder if this is how the disciples felt in the New Testament when they were in prison, mistreated, persecuted, crucified upside down, beheaded, sawed into two, stoned to death, and burned at the altar. As they faced these trials, were they also excited? If so, did they get excited because they focused solely on the reward ahead of them? After all, Christ guaranteed that this journey will be difficult. There’s a price to pay to accept and follow Christ. The price is always high, but the good news is that the reward is worth the price. The road of a disciple is always frustrating, scary, and sometimes lonely, full of obstacles because the path to the kingdom of God is so narrow whereas the path to hell is wide open. But the trophy is always worth it. God guarantees the reward is worth the price, so discipleship, after all, is a beautiful journey. “Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues” (Matthew 10:17). “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:22-23). I personally really enjoy Matthew 10 because that chapter is a very transparent contract between God and us. If we accept the responsibility as His disciples, He makes it very clear that suffering is guaranteed. But He also makes certain that the reward is worth it at the end. So I’m proud to call myself a disciple of God. I’m honored to be called a Christ ambassador. And I’m humble for this opportunity to be used by God as His servant, for I so don’t deserve this. I know at least one person, the apostle Paul, agreed with me that as disciples, we should be excited for trials and that it’s a great honor to endure trials, to suffer for Christ. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he confirmed to them this message. “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29-30). Now I understand why every time I do something to serve God and glorify His name, from encouraging a fellow believer to publicly proclaiming His message, something bad always happens. In a way, this is fair. If there’s no price to pay, if following Christ requires no sacrifice, if working for God is so easy, how can we expect such a big reward at the end? If it were too easy, it wouldn’t be as much fun.

Being a disciple is amazing, rewarding, and fun. But that doesn’t shield us from temptation. The moment we accept Christ, we don’t automatically become immune to sin. I wish we did though. In the past eight years walking with God, I learn that the best strategy to handle any temptation is to run first, and if we absolutely can’t escape from it, then we fight and face this temptation, knowing and praying that God will equip us with His strength to stay righteous. As it’s our natural instinct to flee from danger, it should also be our spiritual instinct to flee from temptation, for temptation may lead to sin, and sin is a barrier between us and God. Just as we flee from temptation to protect our human relationship, we must also avoid temptation at all cost to protect our relationship with God. Even a slightest possibility of sin is not worth the risk of hurting our relationship with God. No good things on earth, no treasure, no pleasure is ever worth it.

When Jesus predicted his own death to the disciples, Peter was so certain that he would defend his master. We know how the story was unfold. Peter failed and denied Christ. From this story, I learn that our faith, no matter what level of discipleship we are at, is so fragile, so vulnerable, so easy to be broken. Thus, it’s so crucial that we constantly guard our faith. It’s so crucial that instead of trying to resist or fight temptation directly, we should first attempt to escape from it. And if we can’t, then we fight because God knows that we’re strong enough to fight this particular temptation. “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13).

If you’re reading this article, I encourage you to focus on the reward at the end of the journey and get excited for every trial you’re suffering through. I encourage you to flee temptation at all cost, and if you absolutely can’t escape from it, have hope that God knows you can stand firm and that He will equip you with His strength to fight against this temptation. I encourage you to accept the job of a disciple if God has called you to take on this responsibility. The price to pay is high, but I can guarantee you that the reward is worth it because this is God’s promise to us. Finally, I encourage you to consider baptism if you have not already done so. It’s an honor, a privilege, and a blessing to be able to publicly proclaim your faith. It has completely changed my life, and I’m sure it will also change yours. That one particular decision to get baptized during the worst time of my life led me to become the disciple that I am today. Looking back, there were so many things and people I have lost, but I don’t regret it at all. If I could go back in time, I would still choose to get baptized. I would still choose to be a disciple of God. I would still choose to accept and follow Christ, despite all the costs. It’s been a beautiful, fulfilling journey to be His disciple, and I look forward to many more challenging, yet exciting years to come. So I also encourage you to take on this journey with me to be God’s disciple.