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How Hard is too Hard?

(Striving for excellence within a culture that settles for the norm)

By Meghan Schaefer

A lot of us may wonder, “Ok, so I’m a Christian, but does my life really count for anything in the kingdom of God?” Well…giving God our hearts, actually living for Him and by that I mean really working out our faith.  Does He ask for more? Here are five areas  which I have come to find really stretch us the most. 1). That first hard step: Doing hard things that take us out of our comfort zone.                  (God works through our weakness to accomplish His Plan.) “True courage is not the absence of fear.  It is refusing to allow fear to control our actions.

2). Raising the Bar: Doing hard things that go beyond what’s expected or required.

When we say, “Well, I did my best!” Did we really? Most of the time it seems like we are really saying, “ Hey, I gave it a shot, and that will have to do.” When having this mindset of low expectations. we soon become blinded by a complacent attitude. This is almost always followed by a smug feeling of satisfaction with who we are and what we’ve done or accomplished. Let’s recognize this feeling that soon leads to genuine disappointment before too long. But when we start to do “hard” things that others don’t expect of us, what a blessing we will begin to receive.

· What areas of my life do I not care about that I know I should care about?

· In what areas have I fallen short of God’s standards and my own potential?

· In what areas have I settled for just getting by when I know I could do better if I really tried?

· In what areas have I decided that things “will always be this way” without ever putting in the kind of effort that really changes things.

3). Doing things that are too hard to accomplish alone.

There is a strength in numbers. Walk with those who are wise. Proverbs 13:20: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” When we walk in the counsel of the ungodly, it’s easy to become influenced by those we are around. God is calling us to walk in His ways, because they are perfect.

4). Small hard things: Doing things that don’t earn an immediate payoff.

These are often the tasks we do that no one else sees and that don’t win us recognition or praise.  Things like being faithful in our spiritual disciplines, putting  energy into developing good study habits, or obeying our parents. We may not see immediate results, but we choose to do them anyway because it’s the right thing to do.

5). Taking a stand: Doing hard things that challenge the cultural norm.

This means making choices that go against the flow like dressing modestly, taking a stand for unpopular positions on issues like homosexuality and abortion. Saying no to premarital sex and R-rated movies, sharing the gospel with others, and living as an obvious Christian. In order to do this we have to begin to care more about pleasing God than about pleasing the people around us. Jesus tells us in the Bible,

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can not be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp, and put in under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16

Here is a story I read once and I found the message in it to be so true…

                 Once a young Egyptian boy set out to cross this vast desert. It was hot and dusty and there were no watering holes along the way. So whenever he needed a drink, he had to stop and dig a well with his bare hands. After he had dug several of these watering holes, his hands were cut and bloody, but he went on. When he finally got to the other side, he was completely worn out.              
A month later, this same boy watched as another boy walked out of this very desert. The second boy had taken the exact same route as the first boy, but he looked fresh and happy, skipping along with a huge bunch of flowers in his arms.
"How could you cross the desert and look so fresh and cool?" the first boy asked. " And where did you get all those beautiful flowers? I didn't see a single one when I crossed just a month ago."
The second boy answered. "Oh, the way is beautiful, there are many small wells brimming with cool water all along the way, and around each well there are flowers and shady bushes. It was easy to cross. Didn't you see them?"
The first boy looked down at his scarred hands and smiled. He knew that his own suffering had made the desert an easier place to cross for those who followed after him.

Like the first boy in the story, we must be content knowing that sometimes God calls us to dig holes in the desert and that many flowers will bloom as a result of our toil. Sometimes the Father calls certain ones of us to do harder things at different times than others. In these times, if we can trust Him to help us “dig the holes” then we will realize we are not alone. He sees even the sparrow that falls, so I know He's watching me. We can all choose to thank Him for the holes He's allowing us to dig.

If we are willing to go after and dive into these God-given opportunities now, I believe we will begin

to see huge and very powerful results. Now and in our future.

Let’s begin to Pursue Excellence!

For questions or comments you may email the pastor at timbev2@yahoo.com or the webmaster at hffinc@i-c.net