I Can Do Hard Things

by Kathy Harris

I Can Do Hard Things is the title of one of my favorite songs sung by one of my favorite
female singers, Jennifer Nettles. If you haven’t heard it, check it out sometime. It’s
somewhat of a women’s anthem, and we can all use an anthem (or two) when we’re
going through life. Especially the hard things.

Most of us live on deadlines with not enough hours in the day or days in the week.
We’re juggling family and career. We’re running to work and running children to soccer
games. We’re working remotely, while homeschooling. Some of us are taking on life
solo—with responsibilities that seem to be endless.

But, as difficult as these “ordinary” struggles may be, they become even harder when
we encounter one (or more) of the major stress events in life. According to
Lifehack.com, the Top Ten Stressors are 1) Death of a loved one, 2) Divorce or
separation, 3) Moving, buying, or selling a home, 4) Major illness or injury, 5) Job loss,
6) Marriage, 7) Increased financial obligations and decisions involving money, 8)
Retirement, 9) Caring for an elderly or sick family member, and 10) Traumatic event,
such as a natural disaster, crime, violence, or pandemic.

Having experienced five out of ten of these in the last two years, I know the toll… But for
God. He is the buffer that keeps us intact when the world shatters around us. He is the
strength we don’t think we have. The one who carries us when we can no longer walk.
The Giver of Hope, who has plans for us even when we can’t see beyond the next day.
And He is the reason I write about hard things.

I have known His mercies… and seen His miracles. I have been comforted by His
presence. And I have been humbled by His compassion. He has been my hope and my
strength, and I want to share that hope and strength with my readers.
My debut novel, The Road to Mercy (Abingdon Press, 2012) was written about abortion.
It’s a polarizing topic, one we often like to avoid. But it touches a lot of lives. According
to NPR, there were more than a million abortions performed in the United States in 2023.

Can a book about abortion point to the love of God? Yes, it can. Hard things…
made whole.

The Deadly Secrets, my romantic suspense series from Iron Stream Media takes on
three difficult subjects. Deadly Commitment (2019) deals with drug addiction and reads
like the headlines from today’s newspaper. Deadly Connection (2021) exposes the
everyday—and every community—side of human trafficking, which, arguably, is perhaps
the most difficult of all hard things. And Deadly Conclusion (2022), the final book in the
series, deals with trauma, the death of a loved one—and, most importantly, forgiveness.
What do all of these books have in common? They deal with hard things. And… they
end with hope.

Kathy Harris is an award-winning author by way of a divine detour into the Nashville entertainment business. She graduated with a Communications degree from Southern Illinois University and has spent the past several decades employed as a marketing director in the Nashville music industry.

She has contributed to a number of anthologies. Her first novel released in 2012. Her latest, Deadly Conclusion, released in November 2022. Kathy regularly interviews literary and music guests on her blog at www.divinedetour.com. Visit her website at www.kathyharrisbooks.com and/or follow her on Facebook (facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor), Twitter (@divinedetour), and Instagram (@kathyharris_author).