January 01, 2006

Ponder this ...

if you ask why life is so hard, i'll tell you it just is. nothing in life that is good and worthwhile comes without effort. we are torn, all of us, with a nature that is drawn to the easy rather than the hard. surely, you've noticed that no child ever has to be taught to be naughty; we're all born knowing how. its easy for us. what's hard is learning to be good. knowing this about oneself and others softens the heart and builds iron into the will, keeps us going when all around is crumbling, when friends forsake, when the heart breaks, and the courage and confidence shatter. knowing that such experiences are part of the deal gives us opportunities to choose to do hard things. constant challenges make our journey exhilirating, wonderfully fulfilling, never, never boring. as the arabs put it, all sunshine makes a desert. and here's a small secret that most sad and lonely people never learn : deep down inside we are all asking the same question. no matter who we are, life is hard, and we all ask why it should be so.

but there is comfort in knowing we're not alone. so maybe your child or the person sitting over there needs to hear from you right this minute that sometimes you question, too, but that the One who knows us best and loves us most promises that for those who choose the hard way, the dawn gives way to morning splendor while the evil grope and stumble in the dark. easy is its own reward. hard is much, much finer.

its not an easy road we are traveling to heaven ...

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