Are you Cross-Fit?

I have never been one for pain. While catchy, the “no pain, no gain” motto does not motivate me in the least. Once I shared that with someone and her response startled me. She said, “Maybe you haven’t really suffered for something you really wanted.” Wow. How dare she? Defiantly, I retorted, “I’ve worked hard for things that were important to me.” My friend responded, “I didn’t say "work", I said suffer…been rejected, been humiliated, been hurt so badly that in any other circumstance you would turn away but you chose to keep going.” She was right or at least more right than I wanted her to be. It struck me that whether we “get back up” or “lick our wounds” isn’t about how much we can endure pain. It’s about how much we believe in the gain, in the vision, in the promise. Would the depth of my belief in the Resurrection be sufficient to endure the Cross? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got some conditioning to do.