It’s easy and it’s easy all the time!

Recently I was talking to a friend about how difficult it is to write memoir. I told him that writing it reminds me of a description of war given by General Petraeus. He said, “It’s hard and it’s hard all the time”. My buddy told me that he suspects it’s hard because I have to relive my life all over again.

“Exactly my point”, I said. “It’s hard and it’s hard all the time!”

My wife and I were discussing a key passage in the book and she told me she still had a difficult time forgiving the person in this passage who greatly wronged us.

Not me. I put it behind me years ago and have made up my mind to forgive this person and I refuse to hold a grudge. When I described that event in my book it did cause me angst to relive it, because this person’s irresponsible behavior caused me no small amount of financial upheaval and many difficult days working my way out of the deep hole that he had left me in. But in the end, I did work my way out of it and as a result I was stronger and better off for the struggle.


Who knows, maybe that is why God allowed me to be tormented for those couple of years. One thing certain, I would have never known peace about this matter had I continued to hold a grudge


Saturday after a day of fishing in the Bahamas, a buddy of mine met my boat at the dock in order to mooch some fresh filets. He was licking his lips when he saw our boatload of big tasty Wahoo, but I could tell something was bothering him. He looked angry and preoccupied.

It turns out that ten of his best fishing rods had been stolen Friday night. He told me that he wished he could take a baseball bat to the thief. Yesterday as I was driving up to my plantation from my home in the Florida Keys he gave me a call on my cell phone and told me that he had gone to church that morning and ended up praying for that thief. He told me, “Obviously something has gone seriously awry in that thief’s heart in order for him to have done what he did, and I prayed that God would change his heart where he could know peace”.

“What about beating him with a baseball bat?”

“Yeah, I was wrong to feel that way”.

I was impressed that his faith allowed him peace towards this thief. That kind of forgiveness can only come from God and that means God had drawn very close to my friend and I was happy for him.

We are engaged in spiritual war and I am convinced that the battles will rage right up until the day we die. “It’s hard and it’s hard all the time!” but to those who endure and keep the faith until the end of this great war and it has been won, those who have persevered will say, “It’s easy and it’s easy all the time!”

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.