When the Tough Get Going

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” means according to Phrasemix “Strong people don’t give up when they come across challenges. They just work harder.”

As I think about this adage I have mixed opinions. On the one hand I admire our ancestors who made it through difficult times through the toughness of their actions made possible through grit, and tenacity. 

This past year I read a fascinating book by author Kristin Hannah about the dust bowl entitled The Four Winds. I had read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck years ago, but had shelved this time period in history on a back shelf o my brain. 

It was unbelievable what families experienced in the Panhandle of Texas during the 1940’s. The erosion of soil, due to improper rotation of crops, led to devastation as the farmers literally now lived in a dust bowl. The heroine of the story travels to California with her family in search of “ the land of milk and honey.” 

Nothing could have been further from the truth. And yet her toughness shows through as she manages to provide for her family without the help of her husband who has abandoned her. 

As I think about the comfortable life that we have all become accustomed to it makes me realize why we as a people don’t seem to handle adversity like we once were able to. We are quick to give up.

However, my conflict comes from my Christian faith where I have learned to lean on and trust my Lord, Jesus Christ in all things. During a particularly stressful time in my life I learned to give up my need for control and to put it in the hands of God. He is my shepherd and I am his sheep. 

If toughness was needed my strength came not from my own self, but from Him. More times than not He would send just the perfect person into my path to help me get through the next step.

In teaching our children about toughness, which is something I believe we need to do, we need also to teach them to take on the yoke of our Lord and let Him carry our weight.

The verse that has seen me through is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all ways and He will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5