Worth It: By Jennie Churchman

“This is crazy,” I thought when my alarm went off. “This is crazy,” I said to myself as I pulled on my work out clothes. “This is crazy,” backing out of the garage into the darkness. “This is crazy,” driving down a completely abandoned neighborhood street. “This is crazy,” walking into the room where about 35 others were gathered. “We are all crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.” Boot Camp began at my neighborhood YMCA on Monday, April 7. Boot Camp, as in led by an honest to goodness member of our Armed Forces, three days a week for a month, from 5:30 until 6:30 AM. Crazy. But I did it.

I kind of had to do it. After I convinced my husband Lindsay that February’s Boot Camp would be good for him, I was sort of locked in. “You are going to sign up for that, aren’t you?” he asked in late March. I tried to play dumb, but it didn’t work. Instead I worked. Hard. I was sore all over. I was zombie tired most of the month from getting up so early (and staying up so late). I don’t think I’ll ever do it again, unless they move the class to, say 7:30-8:30 AM—a much more reasonable hour of the day.

I am glad I did it, and I’m proud of myself for finishing it. Full disclosure: I did sleep in one Monday; I just couldn’t drag myself out of bed. (Sundays are hard, you know.) But still, I did it. And I relearned an important life lesson: The things in life that are worth having are worth working hard to get. Physical fitness? Improved cardio-vascular health? Less-flabby triceps? Worth it.

My fledgling garden isn’t doing so well. I had such high hopes. In February I ordered a truckload of compost and tilled it in with my existing soil and a few other recommended amendments. I was so hopeful. I planted asparagus, lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, and potatoes. Everything sprouted, and I was proud of myself. But the lettuce and the spinach sprouts stopped developing. The carrots and onions are just barely hanging on. The potatoes looked pretty good until this morning when I noticed a few yellow leaves with black spots.

I am so discouraged. In fact, it’s hard for me even to think about my garden without tearing up. On the other hand, deep down I knew I would have a steep learning curve. I’ve never gardened at all; I just had high hopes. And I have high hopes that I’ll do better next year. My soil will be a little healthier, and my knowledge will be a little deeper. It’s going to be hard work, and I may get more discouraged still. But it will be worth it. The things in life that are worth having are worth working hard to get.

I had the great joy of meeting United Methodist Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and his wife Rev. Im Jung at a retreat in early April. They are both so peaceful, so anchored, so full of radiant Christian love. When I listened to either of them speak about the spiritual life, I felt like I was living out Psalm 23. They took me to the good green grass where I rested and feasted. They led me beside living streams where I was renewed and restored. Their words and insights—spoken with their gentle Korean-accented tones—flooded over me rich as anointing oil, covering me with God’s grace. They became guides and mentors for me on how to live spirit-filled lives.

But the truth is their lives have been hard. They have endured much pain and much sacrifice. They radiate joy now not because they have known no heartache but because they have chosen to lift their hearts up to the Lord. They have chosen joy. They have chosen peace. They have chosen life. These may have been hard choices, but they were all worth it. The things in life that are worth having are worth working hard to get.

We too can radiate Christian love. We can radiate joy. We can radiate life. We can radiate peace. But that means hard work. It means not allowing ourselves to get pulled into petty arguments or pointless pursuits. It means giving our time, our hearts, our wills to God. It means fully engaging in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, silence, service, and worship.

Do you want a deeper connection to God? Do you want a more fulfilling Christian life? Do you want your faith to make a difference? The things in life that are worth having are worth working hard to get.

copyright 2008 J Churchman