Morning Devotional 032225 Hard Is Good

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  March 22, 2025

Romans 5:1-5

1 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. 3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Good Morning. The love of God has been poured out in our hearts!

A few years ago, a “new” educational concept began entering the verbiage of educators. This concept is developing a growth mindset. In a growth mindset, we acknowledge that the task is difficult, but we focus on the benefits of the challenge. This is contrasted with a fixed mindset, where you become fixed in the idea that you can’t do it. 

As a new teacher of students who were identified as gifted, I discovered children who had quickly become complacent in doing the expected work that required little effort on their part. When they were confronted with something that wasn’t easy, they shut down, rebelled, or became whiny. I set out to teach the “joy” of accepting a difficult challenge. 

I placed large twelve-inch letters on my wall that said, “Hard Is Good!” My greatest witness to helping these students appreciate their challenges occurred when a new student joined our class. I saw him lean over and whisper to a classmate that the day’s task was hard. The classmate responded, “Oh, don’t tell Mrs. Petry that, she’ll say, “I know! Isn’t it great!””

I smiled as I quickly turned to another student. 

Isn’t it funny that Paul was teaching a growth mindset two thousand years before its conceptualization? We know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

As Paul is teaching, We are called to embrace the challenges along our pathways. The great thing is that God is always with us, cheering us on and supporting us in our times of need. 

A contemporary idea way to say this came in the movie A League of Their Own. Jimmy Dugan, the coach played by Tom Hanks, said, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."

In Romans 8, Paul adds, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later." This statement offers a message of hope and encouragement, suggesting that current difficulties are temporary and will pale in comparison to future rewards and blessings. 

Instead of grumbling and shutting down when we feel challenged, let’s work on saying,  

“I know! Isn’t it great!” I’m sure Jesus will smile, cheer, and support us.  

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! We don’t like for things to be hard. We whine and complain that we can’t do it. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to push us when we need a little nudge. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: A growth mindset attitude toward trials allows God’s joy to help us heal.

Remember: Hard Is Good! Pastor Liz