I watched the movie Fireproof last Friday night at church. It was better than I expected. It was better than most Christian movies I've seen because 1) there was actual character development and 2) Kirk Cameron can actually act.

Kirk's character plays a deadbeat husband who is distant from his wife, yet is also a firefighter by day and saves lives for little pay.

I knew his character would eventually get "saved" in the movie, which he eventually does (sorry to spoil it). But it happens in a way you wouldn't expect.

Because it was a lot like real life.

In the movie, the character he plays...his life actually gets worse after he becomes a Christian. Not permanently of course, but it gets tougher for him.

You see, many times we think that people get saved, become Christians, and everything is easy and hunky dory. Not so. Yes, it's easier in that we have God's spirit in us directing our lives, leading us to Christ, giving us wisdom, but it also gets tougher. We have to live up to a standard. We have to do the "right" things more than we used to.  We have become different.  We can't do the old things we used to do.

But you see, it gets good here. The Christian actually WANTS to do the good thing. But it can be tough. CS Lewis said that being a Christian is "the easiest and yet the hardest thing".  So true.

It's hard to have our dirty laundry brought out into the light.  It's painful to do the right thing sometimes.  But just as we develop bad habits, we can develop good habits as well.

This Sunday we'll be discussing the hot button issue of sex, dating, relationships.  And yes, when you leave you'll have all the answers!  NOT! But maybe some of us will feel convicted to do the hard thing, and therefore the right thing.  Maybe the hardest decision can be the best decision sometimes.