As a mom of three, I find myself filling in the blank more and more.

“Sometimes you just have to … pop in a DVD in the car so the kids will stop bickering … drive through Sonic at Happy Hour because it is, well, Happy Hour and this is South Texas in the summer … let your toddler wear his Spider-Man costume to the grocery store … go to bed while the sink is still full of dirty dishes … “

Sometimes, it’s not worth the fight. But sometimes it is.

Sometimes, I need to turn on cartoons and give the kids chicken nuggets so that I can have an uninterrupted conversation with my spouse.

But sometimes, I need to turn off that TV and gather the family around a home-cooked meal and actually talk about the day. All together, knowing that there will be spilled drinks and picky eaters and crying babies. I need to pick substance over convenience and dig in to the hard stuff that is life in a fallen world.

I want to fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim 6:12), and this means making the hard decisions. We were not created to have an easy life — to have everything given to us. We were made in the image of the One who created everything that is. And he gave us the task of working, caring and providing.

It also means taking the Bible seriously when it says to take up your cross (Luke 9:23), pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:16) and go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). It’s not always easy. Geez, it’s not usually easy. But it is worth it.