Published: January 17, 2026 at 03:30 PM

Tags: books, pilgrims-progress, reading, gospel, christian-life, chapter-10

Soon Christian’s road leads him to a place that every believer eventually faces: a path that grows steep, hard, and costly—the Hill Difficulty.

The Hill Difficulty

At the foot of the hill, Christian finds three choices. Straight ahead is a narrow, steep ascent called Difficulty. To the left and right are easier-looking paths: Danger and Destruction. Christian chooses the hard climb, determined to follow the King’s road even when it costs him comfort.

As he climbs, he becomes tired and stops to rest in a pleasant arbor prepared for pilgrims. But instead of a brief pause, he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, refreshed but careless, he starts back up the hill, only to discover he has lost his scroll, the assurance given him at the cross. He is forced to go all the way back down to find it, weeping over his foolishness and losing time and strength in the process.

The lesson is sharp. The journey will involve difficulty, and rest is God given, but spiritual drowsiness in times of ease can quietly rob us of joy, assurance, and progress.

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)

[1] Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Perseverance requires watchfulness against carelessness.