Hardship
Mark 8:27-38
Deadlines are both a source of stress for me as well as something that motivates me to work efficiently and well. For many creative people, some of their best work is the result of the adrenaline rush of an impending deadline! Sometimes, it seems, a little hardship is necessary for good things to happen.
I am not saying that we should punish ourselves in order to do things properly or well, but I do wonder if this insight might help us reencounter life’s hardships with a different perspective. Whether it is a missed deadline, unexpected surprises, or criticism—those things can both be sources of stress and pain, and also be the kinds of things that hone and refine what we are doing or saying into something better.
Diamonds are simply lumps of coal under extreme pressure. Pure gold is only possible by heating it to incredibly hot temperatures so that it can be refined and purified of impurites and other metals. Fruit trees and flowers flourish when their branches are intentionally pruned back. The best wine grapes grow in soil that doesn’t hold on to water, making the fruit smaller but more intense in flavor.
I could come up with tons of metaphors around the simple idea that without hardships and challenges, life becomes bland and that some of the best things we enjoy come out of challenging and difficult environments. At the end of the day, without hardship and challenges we as human beings do not grow.
And this is where I think the words of Jesus can come in and be re encountered. In Mark 8, he spoke to a crowd and said:
“If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 NRSVUE)
Our faith is also refined by hardship and challenges. I would be skeptical of any faith that has easy answers or is simple to live out. Jesus isn’t glorifying suffering here, Jesus is naming the inevitability of suffering and hinting that even suffering can be a part of the goodness that God has in store for all of us.
Instead of dread, I wonder if Jesus’ invitation to take up our cross can be met with hope. Because one thing remains true: whether or not we are suffering, whether or not we are facing hardship, whether or not we are carrying our crosses—God is with us; we are not alone.
