Hard Things

"On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'

"From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." John 6:60 and 66


These verses represent a crossroads of sorts in Jesus' life and ministry. Up to this point, he had been followed by multitudes hanging on his every word, anxiously awaiting his next miracle, hoping for something for themselves. But now his teaching shifted. These verses follow the "Bread of Life" discourse in which Jesus introduced himself as the Bread of Life, the only way to salvation. He said that eternal life was only by his flesh and his blood; only by his life and death and resurrection. Jesus' teaching began to change. Reading the Gospels, you see that the closer he got to his crucifixion, the more personal his message became, and the smaller his group of followers became. Why? Because his teachings became harder. Following Jesus costs something. Following Jesus costs everything.

Things haven't changed. It is relatively easy to attend church, go to Sunday School (or Life Group, or Small Group...), wear the t-shirt, put the "God Loves You" bumper sticker on the car. Easy, as long as it's not too hard. Or too inconvenient.

Parenting is the same way. In fact, as I think about it, the two are pretty closely tied together. It's easy to do the obvious things. The things that "look" right. But the enthusiasm wanes when it gets too hard; or too inconvenient. Just like following Jesus costs something, being a Godly parent costs something...costs everything. Just like I lost my right to myself when I chose to follow Jesus, I lost my right to myself when I became a mother. Not a very popular thought in our "take care of yourself" culture.

Often saying no is hard. Saying yes is just easier. Yes you can go, yes you can have it, yes you can quit, yes you can... I don't like to see disappointment in my children's faces. I don't like for them to be sad. I don't like for them to be angry. Sometimes I just don't feel like fighting the battle. But, just as God is more interested in my character than my happiness, I am more concerned with their character than their happiness. So, sometimes I say no. Wow...I have learned a lot about God in this process. And about myself. And about how he loves me.

So I will keep doing the hard things...as a Jesus follower, and as a parent.