The Hardest Thing In The World To Do

The hardest thing in the world to do, for every person in the world, is not achieving some physical feat, reaching some monetary worth, or climbing from the dumps to a particular social or political status.

The hardest thing in the world to do is not to overcome addiction to alcohol or pornography. It is not to clean one's self up after living a dirty life. Changing one's life is difficult, it is not the most difficult.

The hardest thing in the world to do is to love another - purely, freely, and independently of the chance of their beneficial reciprocal actions.

Deeply sown into the fabric of our fallenness is the need for our actions towards others to be advantageous to us. On the flip side of that fallen coin is the necessity that our actions towards others must not be disadvantageous to us.

It doesn't matter what the other gains if we do not ultimately gain, or, if we ultimately lose. So we develop the most surreptitious stiff-arms to keep those who needs us from dragging us down.

And this is why Christianity is so hard. This is why Christ is so often hated. He demands the hardest action in the world. When we bring to him our resume of "good" actions toward others he gives us the truth we hate to hear - that we were not loving at all, but selfish throughout.

We loved only those who allowed us to remain in control of our lives. All the while we neglected the sojourner, the fatherless, the oppressed, the prisoner, and the poor. Those who impose, overly-need, and often take advantage of us. Those who may put our lives in danger of not being the greatest thing in the world.

The crown jewel of the Christ's crown, however, is his love for his enemies; his ability and strength to faithfully love people who do not love him back. He is odd because he touches lepers, and communes with sinners. He takes time for the blind, the bleeding, and the unclean. He freely gives to those who cannot give back. He died for those who actively sought to take his life.

And he expects us to carry on that Spirit-led and empowered tradition.

We have to know this about our call. Otherwise, we remain indistinguishable from the rest of those who love only the ones who love us in return.

Christ knows that doing the impossible - doing the hardest thing in the world - will get the world's attention. It will draw all men unto him. It will make self-seekers angry, it will weed out the lukewarm, and it will call sinners to repentance.

And there are a lot of sinners out there. Sinners that will come running into our churches, homes, and lives when we show them the scandalous love of Christ.

Allow me to add a quick, yet dangerous note. If you agree with what has been said, it is not enough. The feeling that accompanies knowing and agreeing with the truths of Christianity is nice, but that feeling soon fades when Christ providentially orders our life and calls this knowledge into action.

I would not be surprised if you received a phone call soon after reading this post - from your spouse, child, or parishioner. And I would not be surprised if the person on the other end of that call was needy, negative, or even degrading to you.

As the good feeling fades and the anger tempts you to rage, cling to Christ by faith. Beg for the Spirit's power to love. And hope in the reward that he has promised for doing the hardest thing in the world - for loving those who are not loving you back.