This is not my work. I found it on a young lady’s blog years ago while looking for info on the Hebrew word Qavah. I liked her blog post so much that I copied it just in case her blog went away. Well, it did. So I’m taking the liberty of posting it here and giving credit to her, wherever she is. Thanks for your insight.

The Hard

The hard is, well, hard. It’s tough. It challenges you. It’s scary. The hard makes you cry. The hard steals your joy. The hard wears you down.

Work is hard. Waking up early every day is hard. Being stuck inside on a beautiful day is hard. Exercising is hard. Dieting is hard. Studying is hard. Taking tests are hard. Not getting a promotion you deserved is hard. Losing your job is harder.

Relationships are hard. Doing life with other people is hard. Relationships are messy, and making something neat out of the mess is hard. Fights are hard. Misunderstandings are hard. Forgiveness is hard.

Faith is hard. Waiting is hard. It doesn’t always make sense, and being confused is hard. Trusting is hard. Believing in something that you cannot see is hard. Expecting to see light when darkness is all around you? That’s hard too.

Life in general is hard. Everyone at some point considers life hard. I think it’s hard, God says it’s hard. We can choose to believe that it’s supposed to be easy. But truth be told? It’s supposed to be hard.

<This paragraph is my addition> The world provides innumerable opportunities to make life easy. Nearly everything in marketing and sales is about easy and quick. Credit cards make buying easy. The Internet makes things easy and quick, and we always want it easier and quicker. On the other hand, saving is hard and waiting until you’ve saved enough for something you need or want is hard. So, life left to itself is hard.

But the hard is what makes it great. Without the hard, as Jimmy Dugan says, everyone would do it. The most rewarding things in life, without fail, only come with the hard. The hard work gives meaning to the end result. The hard times lead to the happiest ones. The hard decisions reap the greatest rewards. The hard sacrifices teach us the most about our priorities. The hard obedience exponentially grows our faith. The hard leap takes us to a landing place we’ve only dreamed of. The hard goodbye leads to the most blessed hello. The hard “I’m sorry” yields an invaluable “I forgive you.”

In all of these hard times, we’re tempted to quit, because quitting? It’s easy. Life, though? It’s hard.

But it’s supposed to be hard. That’s just the way it works. We live in a crazy, sinful, messed up world, and, as beautiful and wonderful as it is, it’s guaranteed to be hard. We can have hope, though, that in the end, the hard – the blood, sweat and tears, the trials and tribulations – the hard…is what makes it great.

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John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (tribulation – anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble. Cheer – comforted, be bold, courageous, rest in my ability to bring you through your difficult times)