There’s no need to suffer through things that are not necessary. But many things we endure for the good it produces in the end, and not for our excitement along the way. Our path can be hard and good at the same time.
Perhaps there are few athletes or soldiers who thoroughly enjoy the rigorous training they must complete. But most would not describe it as a pleasant experience. In fact, many describe it as if going through hell. And yet they each choose to submit to the suffering to achieve their desired outcome.
And this is often true throughout our life and relationships as well. Of course, this is the case as we go through school or engage in various professional training. But it also plays out as we seek to grow personally and relationally.
For instance, hard conversations with our wife are not necessarily moments we look forward to having. In fact, there’s likely parts of us that much rather be doing anything else. But we willingly submit to what needs to be done all the same. And we don’t have to pretend to like it because our enjoyment is not the point in these moments. What matters is our willingness to do what needs to be done regardless of our feelings otherwise.
To be sure, this is not an excuse for a bad attitude. We can still put on a good face even when we’re doing something we don’t like. And we do so because of the deeper goodness we’re still working toward. There’s no expectation for us to smile and laugh along the way, but our commitment to the path and desire to consistently move toward goodness should be clear.
In the end, hard doesn’t necessarily mean bad. And a willingness to do the right thing doesn’t require us to be happy about it along the way.
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