I have had lots of conversations recently about how difficult life is. Not in the facetious kind of way, but in all seriousness. Growing up has its share of aches and pains. Add in the pressures of society, leadership in the work place, and the strife to be like Jesus, and that’s a huge load. Our life is hard! And living well can be painful. We are navigating awkward situations, which demand our immediate attention, that have unforeseen consequences. Sometimes life is just the opposite of fun. It is hard.
Life is difficult and stressful, and yet uniquely gorgeous.
It can be so simple to get lost of the frustration of the trials, but how much more important is it for us to find the beauty and soul in the pain.
We do not get the luxury of avoiding these uncomfortable circumstances in our lives, but I bet most of us would do anything to avoid them! It would be easier, so much easier, to just not have to deal with our current harsh realities. Although, when I think about it more, I realize that it brings me no joy or fruit to avoid the trouble. Through this, I deny myself the opportunity of a crucial growth and shaping into a better person, into someone more like Christ. I will fail to achieve anything. By trying to avoid the hard stuff, I end up hurting myself more, making life harder on me.
Sometimes, the best forms of encouragement are not the compassionate, fluffy speeches that warm your heart. More often than not, the best encouragement we can receive is that loving kick in the pants, telling us to keep moving, no matter what, no matter how tired or hard it is, but ya just gotta keep going.
