A Task Most Difficult

Father: Think less on tomorrow's work, boy, and more upon today's.
The Lord has his own plans for each of us, and tis vanity to speculate.
The scriptures...ung...The scriptures say "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and hurp...to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Son: Yes, father.
You are right.
Father: Uwp.
Son: Father? Is it vanity to hope the Lord may choose for me a task most difficult?
Father: No, that would seem a worthy Christian attribute, so long as it were not for glory's sake.
Son: Oh no.
Though I should have a task most difficult, most necessary and severe, I should not care if none save I did hear of my achievement.
Only the Lord and I shall know.
And that shall be sufficient.

From Hell

by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell 

Unlike the line from Pulp Fiction, this is actually from the Bible. It comes from Micah 6:8. 

 

From Hell is a dense book and it's easy to gloss over the dialogue and panels. This is partly why I enjoy doing Wednesday Theology: it forces me to slow down and focus on any parts of graphic literature I come across that deal with religion or theology. And at first, I read this and thought nothing more than to make a mental note that this could make a good quote.

But then I thought about it. The boy's response is rather remarkable. I don't think I have ever prayed for God to give me a task most difficult or to pile on the burdens that I must endure for him. I always pray for God to lighten my load and make my life a whole lot easier. But, I'm also selfish and lazy, so maybe that's just me.

Do any of you out there ask God to give you a task most difficult? That's something I'm going to have to think about. It wouldn't be an easy thing to pray for. I would be rather afraid that it might come to pass. Maybe that's something I need to work on. Maybe serving God actually involves undertaking difficult tasks and hardships for him. Maybe it's more than going to church on Sundays just so I can have someone to hope in and pray to when life gets a little tough.

Maybe the Christian life, in general, is supposed to be a task most difficult.

But then, I grew up in an American church, so this all sounds like crazy talk.