The Hard Is What Makes It Great

In Emily Watt's book, I Hate It When Exercise Is The Answer, she asks some very good questions that have been excellent reminders to me. She reminds us in one chapter about the movie, A League of Their Own, and quotes what Tom Hanks' character says to Geena Davis when she wants to quit:

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Emily then asks:

"What if the hard is what makes us great? What if it's the hard that makes us grow and sends us in search of resources we didn't know we had and drives us to the arms of our Savior for answers we wouldn't have been smart enough to see ourselves?"

She goes on two chapters later discussing perspective:

"What if we understood that the very things that drive us to our knees are putting us in the exact position to find our Heavenly Father and our Savior? What if, in turning us to heaven because we have nowhere else to go, our difficulties actually point the path to the salvation and exaltation we came to earth seeking in the first place?"

It was good for me to be reminded that things are hard sometimes for a purpose. I have been in that place before where there is nowhere else to go. Those moments have been some of the most sacred and profound spiritual experiences of my life. Once we have had these moments, we have a deeper testimony and understanding of how vital the Savior is to our lives. My challenge is to remember to keep Him in a prominent place in my life and remember that He can help me. Why do we try to do so much on our own?

I am feeling overwhelming gratitude today for the opportunities for change I've had in my life, and for how patient the Lord is. It takes me a really long time to come around, and I'm so happy He is allowing me the time to change.