Boom!

This is a great article:

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001726.cfm

Ever been thinking about something and couldn't quite put it all together until someone helped? Well, this piece by Alex & Brett Harris did that for me. It's entitled "Do Hard Things" and really brought together everything that's been floating around my head for the past little while.

There are a plethra of notable quotables but here are some of my favourites:

"We're not just saying that you have the ability to do hard things. We're telling you that you should do hard things because it's the best and only way to experience true growth in your life."

"We can't really avoid doing hard things. We can only decide when to do them and how prepared we will be to handle the hard things life brings our way."

"Theodore Roosevelt said it well when he said, "a mere life of ease is not in the end a satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world." Such a life is a tragedy — a wasted life."

The best though is a quote from G.K. Chesterton who said "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried."

Yes, the Christian life is hard. But that is exactly what people are searching for. Not a life of ease & comfort but a challenging life where you step out and confront the world head on.

I often wondered how the Apostle Paul could say that he has learned to be content in every situation and be filled with such joy & peace. It was because he was living the hard life and kept growing and growing spiritually until he was actually living the best life.

Things like playing the piano or learning new languages don't come about through slackness or indifference. They happen after much hard practice. By committing to a schedule and sticking with it. Likewise, you can only mature & grow as a Christian after lots of hard work and putting into practice what you've learned.
Paul said it best when he compared the Christian life to an athlete training:

"You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.

I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." --1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)