"It's the Hard that makes it great"

It's a great line from the movie, "A League of Their".  Tom Hanks plays the baseball manager for an all Girls team trying to keep the normalcy of baseball alive in a country where nearly all it's men were serving in the military during World War II.  Hanks' star player, Dottie (The Queen of Diamonds), decides to quit the team prior to the start of the World Series to go back home to Oregon.  Her reasoning for leaving the team, "it got hard".  That is when Hanks' fires back with his classic response, "it's the hard that makes it great".

Now maybe it's a stretch to pull this movie line into spiritual parallels but do you ever feel that Christianity is simply too hard.  The Call of Discipleship is stifling.  It's almost like Christianity feels like the "No Fun" zone.  Look at all the things we have to give up.  Look at all the sin the world joyfully endeavors in that we have to resist.  If that wasn't enough, Jesus tells me to love those who "hate" me, pray for all the punks in the world who "persecute" me and then I even have to give up my own life to live sacrifically for Christ.  You want to talk about hard!!!

Sometimes it feels like we are called to do the impossible.  To truly live for Christ and not for self, feels so "hard" that it makes me wonder if Tom Hanks quote here would fit. Where is the "great" of Christianity found?  Now I could ramble off all these Scriptures, ideas, or theology but honestly, where's the fun in that?  Parents, talk to your Students about that very question and see what they come up with.  Is their view of Christianity the "no fun" zone or do they see the "great" in it?  You might be surprised at what you hear.  By the way, it would be in your best interest to spend some time in prayer over your answer.