It's the Hard that Makes it Great

 

As I chatted with a friend, I'd love to say over coffee, but the truth is that it was over cookies, she and I both mused how everything has to be so difficult.  Why can't something be easy?  Anything?  Why does every area of my life have to be so hard?  We considered motherhood, dieting, work, and home life.  Why all present challenges that make them hard.  Nothing is easy.  Nothing...

The more I thought and considered that the more I heard the voice of Jimmy Dugan in my head.  No, not about how "There's no crying in baseball."  But, that's certainly a great quote.  However, I was hearing him say, "It's the hard that makes it great."

When he says this he's talking to Dottie (love that name 😊) before the World Series.  (Side note: if you have no idea what or who I'm talking about, really you have missed out on a true piece of American Pop Culture gold.  A League of Their Own  -- Check it out.)

So they are headed to the World Series and Dottie is walking away from baseball.  While she's packing the car, Jimmy comes over and talks to her about why she is leaving.  She makes excuses and then gets to the root of it.  "It just got too hard."  That's what she finally snaps at him.  And he responds in a way that get me in the gut every time.  "It's supposed to be hard.  If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it.  It's the hard that makes it great."  Now, he's talking about baseball.  And honestly I'm not a big sports fan, especially baseball.  But, I'm a downright sucker for an inspirational sports movie.  They skip through all the boring parts.  😉 But, I want to take it back to our original conversation.  We were going on about how life was hard, and why can't something be easy.  The truth is anything can be easy if you don't do it well.  

So, how does that apply to our walk with God, and all the paths he's asked us to follow?  Jesus sums it up for us, as he often does.  

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

He says, love God and love people.  If this Christian life is so simple, then why isn't it easy?  Because, they aren't the same thing; even though we often assume that easy and simple are the same.  The process of building a wall is pretty simple.  Put one brick on top of the other.  However, the process is definitely not easy.

We live in a broken world.  We are broken people.  one of this is the way that God designed it to be.  That is why it all feels so hard.  Because if we love and follow Jesus, our flesh and our souls are constantly at war with one another.  So, the fact that it feels hard means we are still fighting the good fight.  And the truth, sadly, is that because it's hard, not everyone will do it.  But, everyone can do it if they try.  And, just like Jimmy said, "It's the hard that makes it great."

When we gain victory over whatever the battle is in our lives we see the glory and greatness of God.  The first chapter of James resounds in my ears as I type this now and resonates in my heart whenever I think of the difficulty of the battle of this Christian life.   The reason is, James pretty much tells us that it's gonna be hard and it's gonna stink, but there is good that comes from the difficulty.  Let's look at just the first chapter.  

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

In the first chapter alone of James we see 9 (I underlined them for you) different gifts we will receive if we do the hard work of loving God and loving others.  If we do what Jesus calls us to as his followers.  

When you think about the hard workouts, practices, training, and abuse on the body that go with baseball, you have to weigh the effort against the thrill of the games and the pride of winning.  Then you have to decide if the hard is worth the great you get out of it.  

Looking at the hard work of being a Christian: the constant bombardment of the enemy, the fight with our flesh, the reality of trying to be in the world but not of the world, we must decide for ourselves if that is worth following Jesus.  

Here's the thing.  When we commit to this hard Christian life we get more than a trophy or a ring or some cool stories about the "good old days."  We get a robe and a crown and to be a part of His story.  And we get a chance to recruit new players for God's team.  What an honor.  

When I consider the difficulty of raising godly children, eating in a godly way, working as if for Christ, and loving those I don't always like, I pray that I will remember, "It's the hard that makes it great."