A recent conversation with Brady, our son in kindergarten, after multiple weeks of great behavior at school:

  Me: “Brady, I am really proud of your behavior these last few weeks of school.”

Brady: “Mom, it’s hard work!”

Me:  “What do you mean it’s hard work?  What is hard?”

Brady:  “It’s hard work doing what I am supposed to do all day long.  Plus, I work hard to get good grades. It’s hard to hold it together that long.  ”

Me:  “Well, would you rather not work hard and get in trouble?  Or  would you rather work hard and get good grades and be proud of your behavior?

Brady: “Mom, I like not getting in trouble, and I like to get things right .  The hard work is worth it!”

Boy!  What a conversation to have with a six year old.  Internally, I was doing back-flips of joy at his realization.

There is much wisdom for me in his words, though.  It is hard work to try to do what is right all day long– day after day.  It is hard work to remember to treat others with kindness, to live ethically, to live a life of integrity and to remain rooted in our values.  It is hard work to live a life of faith and prayer when it would be so easy to let this all go to the wayside.

If we live the easy way, though, we miss out on all the fruits of our hard work of prayer, of faith, of imitating Christ.  We miss out on understanding that we are deeply loved by  God, that we are called to a life of hope and joy, and that we are never alone this world because of the relationship we have with God.

I’m with Brady– the hard work is most definitely worth it!

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.