God seems to like “tough guys” (and gals, for that matter). Jesus lauded John the Baptist as there being none greater born of woman. Pretty good compliment from the Son of God, huh? John was a wilderness loner who preached uncompromisingly to those who came to hear him. Locusts and wild honey (honey that he probably collected himself) reflects his toughness, and was may the cause of some of it. And John was like one of God’s favorite prophets, Elijah. Now there was a tough guy. Sarah, too, must have been a pretty tough ol’ gal, too. Giving birth at 90? And what about courageous Esther and sly Ruth who also showed a kind of toughness that is praiseworthy!

John’s message? Get ready for God’s coming kingdom - REPENT! But what about “sweet Jesus”? Well, he came with the same message.

In a culture that celebrates entitlements, toughness becomes an ugly adversarial word. It smacks of a lack of compassion. But not to John. Some whiner might complain, “But repentance is hard.” To which you can almost hear John respond, “So what, wimp. Suck it up or you’ll miss the glory. Your choice.”

Guess we’ve got the same choice to make - every day. Even this day.