Life Is Hard

In the movie A League of Their Own, there is a scene near the end in which Jimmy, the manager of a women's baseball team (play by Tom Hanks) discovers his star player Dottie (played by Geena Davis) is leaving the team to go be with her husband Bob, who is just back from World War II.   The following conversation takes place:


Jimmy Dugan: Taking a little day trip? 
Dottie Hinson: No, Bob and I are driving home. To Oregon. 
Jimmy Dugan: [long pause] You know, I really thought you were a ballplayer. 
Dottie Hinson: Well, you were wrong. 
Jimmy Dugan: Was I? 
Dottie Hinson: Yeah. It is only a game, Jimmy. It's only a game, and, and, I don't need this. I have Bob; I don't need this. At all. 
Jimmy Dugan: I, I gave away five years at the end my career to drink. Five years. And now there isn't anything I wouldn't give to get back any one day of it. 
Dottie Hinson: Well, we're different. 
Jimmy Dugan: Sh*t, Dottie, if you want to go back to Oregon and make a hundred babies, great, I'm in no position to tell anyone how to live. But sneaking out like this, quitting, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Baseball is what gets inside you. It's what lights you up, you can't deny that. 
Dottie Hinson: It just got too hard. 
Jimmy Dugan: It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great. 

I have always loved that quote, because I think it applies to many parts of life. "The hard is what makes it great."  We learn from our struggles.  We grow through adversity.  Our faith is tested when things do not go our way and we learn to persevere.  I was taught over and over again as a child things like "when the going get tough, the tough get going."  "Winners win and losers quit." Even Jesus reminded us that those who suffer for his sake will be blessed.  God could have made our lives simple, but in His wisdom chose to present us with obstacles to  go around and challenges to overcome.


Following Jesus is what gets inside me.  It's what lights me up.  But it is not easy.  Some days it is just very hard.  And the hard is what makes it great...


Because of Jesus,