When It Gets Hard

Read John 6.

Contrary to what we sometimes say, as a culture we don't like to do hard things. We often will bail out when things get difficult, when they get hard to pursue. I have watched it happen at cardiac rehab. There are times when the exercises and the prescribed actions are difficult; they push me beyond what I think I can do (and way beyond what I want to do!). And I have watched some folks bail out (at times jealously watched, I might add!). They either quit coming or they back down to a level that is easier. And their health does not improve. They either plateau or they decline again. The key to success, the key to health is found in doing hard things. (I'm not perfect in this; don't get me wrong. There are times I slack off as well, but I am determined to get better and push myself so that I can be stronger. That's just the way I am wired; I'm not trying to say I'm somehow better than anyone else.)

We do the same thing in life today. Marriage gets hard? We're told to bail out. Having been a pastor for twenty-five years or so, and having performed many weddings, my observation is that somewhere around the ten year mark, marriage gets really hard (for a lot of reasons) and the temptation is strong to bail out. The same thing is true in our employment, and it's certainly true in our church life. When things get hard, when the stress rises up, we are tempted to (and often do) bail out. Several years ago, I had someone tell me that church shouldn't be stressful. I asked why not—after all, church is made up of human beings, just like any other organization, and we're not perfect. Should we be better because of Christ in us? Yes, we should. But we often are not. So the easy thing for us is to run when it gets hard.

That's what happened with some of those who were following Jesus. By chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, the things Jesus says (not to mention the controversy he has stirred up among the traditional Jewish leadership) are hard and confusing and not at all what people expected to hear when they signed on to follow Jesus. After all, he was the latest "show," the best attraction in town. But then he starts talking about what sounds like cannibalism, and many folks are just ready to tap out. They don't understand and don't want to do the hard work to understand what Jesus is talking about or even where he's headed—because it's obvious whatever they thought he was up to, it's not really what he's doing. It's getting hard (even by chapter 6) and they are just done.

I love the exchange, though, with Peter. Peter—who so often speaks for all of us and certainly echoes my feelings in this story—is asked, "Do you want to leave?" Isn't it getting hard for you, too, Peter? And Peter doesn't deny that at all. The way he responds, though, is not with resignation but with confidence. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God" (6:68-69). In other words—we don't quite understand what you're up to, either, Jesus, any more than the rest of these folks, but we know who you are. So, no matter how hard it gets, we're in this for the long haul.

And that's a huge commitment Peter makes here, because it's about to get harder.

So...when it gets hard, what do you believe Jesus calls you to do?