Facing Struggles

There are a number of people that I know who are going through struggles right now.  Challenges are a part of life and they are one of the ways in which our faith grows.  If everything was easy we would find it even more difficult to depend on God than it is anyway.  I think we are genetically wired to depend on our own strength and efforts for survival although that seems to have disappeared in many of the young people today.  Maybe allowing the proliferation of ignorance and stupidity is nature's way of correcting an imbalance of some kind -- such as overpopulation.

I suppose that being aware of more of the struggles of friends and acquaintances comes with awareness of my own aging.  I hope to have many years left and I intend for them to be productive years, but I also acknowledge that I am older and sometimes my mind and body aren't as "in tune" with each other as they once were.  I certainly can't do as much physically as I could at one time, but I do try to get exercise of some fashion almost every day -- usually in the form of some type of physical labor.  When you have livestock that's fairly easy.

Not all struggles are physical, or health-related; some are mental.  The mental struggles are often the ones that drive the greatest growth.  Realization of our limitations is a mental challenge.  Recognizing that we are not "the center of the world" is something most people go through at some point in their life.  It is an ego check that helps us to gain perspective.

One of my struggles has always been to be sensitive to other people's view of things.  Those who know me closest will argue the following is not true, but I tend to see in black and white -- something is or it isn't -- there is little, or no gray area.  Again, those who know me best would say that I often point out the "gray area" in my discussion of various things, but to me they are subtleties, not core to most situations.  I have learned to accept that my view is sometimes incorrect, but it requires facts -- hard data -- to convince me otherwise.  I usually will question the data and the sources, but with time, if my own investigation supports what was presented, I will change to accommodate the new information.  It doesn't mean I will come to the same conclusion.

I have strayed a bit from my topic -- struggles.  I went here simply because there was a series of verses that jumped into my head this morning as I was contemplating the day.  They are:

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."  -- Philippians 4:4-9

I hope that whatever struggle you may be going through, you will remember these words and that they will bring you comfort.