What do we do when we are struggling? When we struggle with life, or with a friendship, or with…? Sometimes we may not even be sure what we are struggling with, but we feel that something just isn’t right. All of us endure such moments. It may be brief – maybe a few minutes or an hour – or it may stretch out for weeks, or months, or longer.
Such moments are times of testing. Will we succumb or will we endure? Will we turn and run from such moments or will we embrace them? I believe our response is determined by our perspective of such moments. Do we approach these moments as a battle, that we just need to fight harder? Or, do we see them as opportunities for reflection, for evaluating what is really going on inside of us? And, maybe even allow the struggle to turn into a cleansing?
There may be a myriad of reasons why such moments occur—some beyond our understanding. But, let’s take a look at two possibilities.
How often do we struggle because we’re yearning for approval from those around us? We look to others for affirmation. If we’re feeling insecure we will tend to look to others for approval. Exterior affirmations will never be enough if we’re not ok on the onside. Will I take it as a struggling moment, lashing out at those around me for not affirming me? Or, will I embrace the moment and see it as an opportunity to cleanse away the false security and build a more solid foundation on the inside?
Maybe we’re struggling because we’ve gone through major changes in recent years. A new job. A new home. A broken relationship. We miss what once was. We miss what we used to know. We miss the familiar. Familiar faces. Familiar responsibilities. Familiar landscape. Will I see it as a struggling moment, fighting to return to the familiar? Or will I embrace the moment and see it as an opportunity for something new, for adventure, for growth?
Whatever the reasons for the struggling moments of life, such moments challenge us. Will we be able to dig deep enough to walk through it victoriously? Or, will we give in to the desire to lash out? to judge? to blame? May we desire to stay steady, to persevere, to remain steadfast during those emotional roller coaster rides. And as we do so, may we learn to embrace such moments as moments of cleansing so that we may become more who we were designed to be.
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