“It’s Just Too Hard!”

When it comes to loving people who are hard to love or forgiving someone who has caused us pain, there’s one statement I often hear people make: “It’s just too hard!”

This cannot be true because God will never command us to do something that is too hard to do. Some things may be hard, but they are not too hard. I believe God anoints (empowers) His people to do difficult things at times. He comes alongside us and helps us do anything He asks us to do. If we believe it is too hard, we’ve quit before we have even tried. But if we believe that, with God’s help, we can do anything we need to do, then we are well on our way to success.

The apostle Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). In the Amplified Classic version, this reads: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency] (AMPC).

See, if we train ourselves to think we can do all things through Christ, we will find that nothing God asks us to do is too hard. The truth is, thinking something is too hard is what often makes it too hard for us.

In Matthew 7:13–14 (AMPC), Jesus talks about setting before us two paths to travel through life—and we must choose one. He offers us a narrow path, which although it is “contracted by pressure,” leads to life. He also offers us a broad path that is easier to travel but leads to destruction. Our temptation is to take the easy way, but that is not the best way. This could be a place where many people would use the excuse, “It is just too hard.”

It is interesting that the narrow path—the one that leads to life—includes pressure. This is because our enemy, Satan, will do anything he can do to prevent us from taking the path that leads to a life we can enjoy.

So, I encourage you: When it gets hard to love someone else, listen to God and walk down the path He’s set for you—one step and one act of love at a time.

Adapted from the book Loving People Who Are Hard to Love by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2022 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prayer Starter:

“Lord, when I feel like it’s too difficult to love someone, please give me the encouragement and peace of mind I need to keep going. I want to rely on You and not just my feelings in the moment. When the situation seems impossible, remind me that through you all things are possible. In Jesus’ name, amen.”