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| Some of the most beautiful things in life come out of struggling... |
My teenage daughter has come up with a teen saying that makes
me shake my head in amusement; one of the things I have always loved about my
daughter is her creativity. She is
talented and expressive and her latest passionate saying that I hear at least
once every two days is:
“The struggle is
REAL...”
She is all of almost 15 years old. It’s hard for me to think back to 15 and
think about how “real” the “struggle” was and exactly what was the struggle at
that age? I must be getting old… 15 was
32 years ago for me… But I can totally
relate to the saying. Although I’m quite
sure my struggles at 47, being a divorced single mother and 4 year breast
cancer survivor differ from hers, not making her struggles (whatever they may be at
15) any less significant.
As we journey through life on our own unique individual
journeys, our struggles to us are REAL. I’m
learning not to be led by my struggles.
Not to give them more space than they deserve to have. The truth is that as long as we have breath
in our body, we will experience different struggles. Quite often those “struggles” are growing
pains and yes, they even happen to someone like me – in their forties. They are simply life’s lessons. How you respond to them is up to you. Like a multiple choice question you have the
ability to choose how you will respond to those “struggles” that come up in
your life. You can choose to become “bitter” or “better.” When I find myself becoming bitter about something,
I have to stop and cut off that bitterness much as one would cut the ends of a bouquet
of freshly cut flowers to keep them from wilting and holding on to their beauty
in the vase just a little bit longer. Sometimes it is a matter of re-evaluating
and determining what is important and what is simply something I should shrug
off. Sometimes it’s the realization that
I have made a tiny little struggle magnified just by my feelings or my frame of
mind at the moment. During those times I
have needed to “step back” and see if this is a tiny little struggle or one
that is big enough to consume me. We
have all heard the saying “making a mountain out of a mole hill.”
Sometimes the only one standing in my way is ME. Have you
ever felt that way? We think too much,
we analyze too much, we critique ourselves too much. Sometimes the struggle is REALLY – us! Step
aside! Get out of your own way! Stop beating yourself up! Stop over thinking!
Stop over doing! Stop comparing yourself to someone else! Stop coveting! Stop! Stop! Stop!
Life can be a struggle.
But when you really think about it - nothing worth anything was ever
easy. Maybe there is a certain satisfaction in looking back at certain
struggles and knowing that you made it through (with the Grace of God). Maybe we go through some of those struggles
to be able to stretch out our hand behind us later on and help someone else who
is “struggling.” How can we affectively
and compassionately understand people if we can’t identify with them?
If a caterpillar doesn’t struggle to get out of his cocoon,
he dies. If a chick doesn’t struggle to
peck through its shell it won’t be born. Maybe some of the most beautiful parts
of life come because of the struggle?
Maybe even though we don’t feel it at the time – there is a purpose that
we can’t see because of the struggles we go through. Perhaps it gives us a
finer appreciation and maybe in some instances a sense of accomplishment and
pride. Maybe the struggle isn’t for US but for those we love that come AFTER
us.
Yes, the struggle IS real, but it is only part of the journey - maybe we should think about concentrating on the outcome of the struggle instead of the struggle itself? And to remember that we have a God who has already won the biggest struggle of all for us. Perhaps we should concentrate on the rainbow that is sure to follow the storm - instead of the storm itself... Makes you think, doesn't it? The struggle is real, but the outcome is worth it.
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