G.K. Chesterton said that.

And he's right: we don't like hard stuff. We love the "path of least resistance" -- the same path water follows when it runs down hill.

When we follow it, that's where we go also -- down hill.

But we can't keep running from the hard stuff because life itself is hard.

"Life is difficult," Scott Peck reminds us in the opening words of The Road Less Traveled."

Life is a series of problems, he says.

We can enjoy the idea that life is a bed of roses -- until we find ourselves rolling around on the thorns.

Life is difficult -- and it was meant to be that way. We grow into the people we are facing life's problems.

But we can make life more difficult than it should be by running from problems, and that's where most of us spend too much of our time doing.

And here's another truth about life: problems just don't go away. If we ignore them -- they just get bigger.

They're like Mary's little lamb. If we leave problems alone, they come back home -- "wagging their tails behind them."

Our Lord, too, taught us to deal with life as it comes, using the tools of love and forgiveness to work on life's difficulties.

He told us not to bring our gifts to the altar if we had a division with the neighbor. Solve the problem first. (Matthew 5:23)

We are discovering the psychological truth of Mr. Peck's fine book to be rooted in the wisdom of our Lord's teaching.

We have just begun this new worship and study series, using the Bible as our source and Mr. Peck's book as illustration. The essential part of the study runs for 12 weeks.

We will be moving from "life is difficult" to the understanding that every day is a gift to be lived in joy and thanksgiving.

I say "Come On!" Join us Saturday evening at 6:00 or Sunday morning at 9:30 for The Gospel and "The Road Less Traveled." (Those times allow visitors from other churches to participate.)

I hope you will be in worship somewhere this weekend.

"Thrifts for Gifts" -- open Saturday -- 9:00 - 12:00. Find a bargain!