Even When It Hurts

You’ve heard and perhaps said the well-known phrases . . .
“Do the hard thing.” and “Do hard things.”

Those speaking / writing those words seek to motivate people to do what it takes to reach success. Some who hear / read those words take them to heart. Katie Ledecky and Léon Marchand do the hard thing as they swim lap after lap after lap. Simone Biles does hard things through hours upon hours of gym time. Yo-Yo Ma stuns listeners with his skill on the cello; he did not reach that level of excellence by choosing the easy way.

I’m re-reading the Psalms devotionally. A few days ago, I read Psalm 15. At the beginning of the psalm, the writer (perhaps King David) asks two questions.

Psalm 15:1 (NIV)
LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

In one sentence (one that contains five commas and five semicolons and covers four verses, mind you), David answers the two questions with example after example of faithfulness. One example, in particular, caught my attention.

[“The one] who keeps an oath even when it hurts.”

Athletes and musicians aren’t the only ones who need to do hard things. All people who seek to honor God will, in order to give such honor, keep oaths even when it hurts.

How so?

Keeping an oath when it hurts looks like a husband and wife whose marriage’s “happy” went away refusing to break their vows as they work to bring it back.

Keeping an oath looks like paying off a debt even after filing for bankruptcy. It’s the soldier who does not go AWOL. It’s the promise kept. It’s the father who keeps the promise of time spent playing catch rather than attending that “Son, I’m sorry to do this again” meeting. It’s the young man who “fathered” a child actually fathering his daughter and supporting the “I still can’t believe I got pregnant” young mother. It’s the “Okay, I’ll get some help” addict attending AA. And it’s the couple who knew that God called them to leave everything behind and go to a place they do not yet know to spread the gospel even when the finances don’t make sense.

Who may dwell in God’s presence? The one who keeps an oath even when it hurts.

What hard thing do you need to choose and do? Do the hard thing!

#ordinarylives