The Secret About Struggle
As one takes a general survey of their life, many conclusions could be reached. The most sought after and desired conclusion would be that one is “fully content, successful, purposeful, healthy, loved, etc.,” which would be the result of many factors personally and socially related. In this ideal circumstance, any positive exclamation would follow. “Life’s good!” “I am moving forward and successful!” but…
…on the flip side, one’s life situation could be everything but “ideal.” Whether it’s facing personal health issues, heavy family concerns, a shaken faith, a lack of general fulfillment and purpose, etc. the consequence of any coinciding events, responses of desperation may follow; “What is my life?!” “I am lost and struggling!”
Very rarely is any person fully on either end of these proposed states. It’s typically a combination of favorable and unfavorable conditions. While it is a general rule of thumb to avoid getting yourself in times of struggle, what if one should consider themselves favored when experiencing the mentioned “unfavorable” conditions? Further, my personal charge: one should SEEK OUT the struggle! Here’s why…
The life of a person in the contemporary, Western society is profoundly comfortable! Think about it: we typically don’t have to produce, catch, or even cook our own food; there are many ways to opt out of using physical effort to travel from one place to another; almost every indoor structure is temperature controlled, has clean running water, is well-lit, and supplies proper waste water and sanitation systems; and most importantly, technology has allotted us the miraculous conditions to be effortless plugged into alternate virtual realities and forms of invisible networks. Basically, if your daily environment has any, all, or more of these conveniences, you have no room to complain about anything! #firstworldproblems
Clearly, the growth and advancement of human societies has done everything to create systems that remove a lack of comfort…remove struggle.
While struggle and discomfort can be negative, purging these realities completely will prove to be even more detrimental. The paradox of it all is that the ability to remove experiencing struggle came through experiencing struggle! Just think about it, the great minds across human history that have birthed the realities, systems, and technologies that provide modern conveniences, engaged in arduous processes that even cost some their very life. Historic leaders, inventors, and social world changers such as Jesus Christ, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, Alexander Graham Bell, Mahatma Gandhi, Nikola Tesla, George Washington Carver, Mother Teresa, and countless other impactful figures, all endured forms of struggle on their paths to fulfilling their purposes that transformed the world. The bottom line: you remove struggle, you remove change!
What does this mean for us?
We are all aware of the areas of growth and change that are personally desired. Whether it is becoming a better parent, spouse, sibling, friend, boss, employee, etc.; climbing up the ladder within your career or just discovering your career path; improving in your physical health; or moving past any given hindrances and entanglements to prosper in your faith…one truly feels alive when they have the vision to transform. However, having this awareness does not spur one to action. And its the prospect of having to engage with the moments that will push you to your limits that instill fear and intimidate the spirit for action…but, how can you expect to move beyond your limits without being pushed to them!?
EVERYTIME I am faced with the prospect of working on a task or toward a personal goal, any combination of my preceding comments about moving forward fill my mind. As the challenges against progress weigh heavily, the solutions always rest in engaging in “the struggle.” Everyday this is exemplified in a variety of ways in my life…whether its choosing to cut out binge watching movies and shows on the countless streaming channels or mindlessly scrolling down social media feeds, making the concerted effort against idleness and laziness, deciding to answer the call to discipline with my commitments, being punctual, having the difficult conversations, focusing on the important tasks and pushing away the easy distractions, moving beyond how I “feel” and instead doing what is right/needed…there is a ongoing list of circumstances that position me to engage in the struggle or not. These situations obviously aren’t the “struggles” that are debilitating and ought to be avoided (life challenges financially, relationally, personally, etc.) but they are the circumstances that challenge one to battle for growth. They are called “struggles” because they call you to do what may be seen as momentarily inconvenient or uncomfortable in order to to get to a place of desired growth and strength.
The bottom line with engaging in the “battle of these struggles,” is if you avoid the challenge you avoid the change.
Now, identify what you would like to become, do better, create, accomplish; examine the actions that are needed to manifest this your ideal reality; and eagerly face the moments of struggle that will come! Why eagerly? On the other side of the struggle that you readily avoid is the life change that you eagerly desire.
That homework, assignment, or task that you continue to blow off…sit down, turn off the distractions, and do it. Those projects and major goals that you have continued to delay working on, stop waiting for the timing to be completely “right;” it never will be. The relationships you need to mend or always say that you need to reconnect and create; stop thinking and make the call. The spiritual growth that you always pray about and share in your accountability groups, realize that God has given you his Spirit and grace…confess, be radical, and don’t fear repentance.
Change is on the other side of struggle.
