The Struggle is Real

/ The WheatandTares

Somedays, the confidence in who I have become is almost mesmerizing…to myself. Other days, the struggle is real…so very real. Does anyone else go through this?

Often, I wonder if anyone else actually goes through the struggles of purpose, pertinence, and passion. I walk through life with a limp and wonder if I’m just simply destined to embrace these struggles for eternity, never really getting beyond them, just settling for a toleration, a sort of cease-fire, until the moment of intimidation or fear of rejection creeps back into view. I watch as many of my friends seem to have it all together, or at the least, are so comfortable in their own skin, in their own calling and in their own life choices that they don’t seem to battle the same mind games and moments of hesitation.

Then, I see from whence I’ve come, and I see those who have gone before who are still struggling for this place of significance and value. I see those who have won the battles and those who are still wallowing in their demise. This is the moment my determination and fight, and solidarity with Scripture, comes into clear focus. I realize in this moment, there is no turning back. Retreat is not an option. Failure can not be part of the equation.

Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the goal for this the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The struggles we face aren’t only given to us for our own learning, our own character-building and our personal faith-strengthening. The victories on the other side of those struggles are not only for us and our own celebrations. These are to be a witness to those coming behind us. These are to become testimonies which help someone else to achieve more than we ever imagined. These are to stand as pillars, mile markers and ancient boundary stones to mark the way for those coming behind, to help them find their way through similar struggles, and to enable them to achieve more victories than we ever thought possible!

So resist that urge to quit! Keep up the struggle for as long as it takes, and win that fight toward your destiny! Clear the path, and strategically change those battle lines to victory, and set those boundaries in place that scream to the world you have won! So then, all who encounter these will know, “There is hope! You can fight and win, too!”

6 thoughts on “The Struggle is Real”

  1. I sometimes look at myself in the third person and shake my head. I am proud in some ways of who I am, but sometimes wish I could have a do-over of the last ten years. My mom passed away and it was just me, no relatives, and I was laid off and took some time off just after having passed an incredibly horrible year after my mom started having symptoms resembling a stroke and ended up become bedridden and passing away from a perforated colon … gone in a heartbeat and everything seemed surreal. All of a sudden I was very alone, laid off, with the expectation of returning to work full-time relatively soon. So I hung on to that, was hired back but part-time. I think now, having newly turned 62 last weekend, that I should have just taken some time off and gotten another job. Been more productive. Working at home part-time is nice, it allows for walking and not the dog-eat-dog world I had before, but I sometimes think I should have followed a different path. So I berate myself about it from time to time, especially if I get frustrated at work. Other times I am fine with my decision – I live a simple life and like it, but you can’t have it both ways and I do get conflicted about it. But time marches on …

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    • I’m so sorry about your mom passing. That is such a difficult journey, and no one can ever tell you how to be prepared. I pray you find peace and hope through the journey, and I pray you find good in these difficult choices you’ve had to make. If means anything to you, just know you’re never too old to seek the dream that’s in your heart. Never. Only until your last breath should you give up the passions that make that heart beat faster; so, if you still have the desires to achieve more, I say, Go For It!! I was just talking to a sweet friend of mine on Sunday about this very thing! She was telling me how old she is and how life has taken several turns she didn’t think it would take. She just turned 63, and she’s just finishing her medical/nursing degree. She is a woman of faith, and she felt the Lord was directing her in a different direction in this last semester. She’s now about to start working with someone in a child advocate/foster care field, and she now believes her medical degree is going to help her serve this social work effort even more!
      So, dream on, my friend! As long as there’s breath in your lungs, fight for your dream, and make it happen… and if it’s truly to live the simple life and enjoy it; then, I encourage you to do just that!! 😉💕 Either way, don’t beat yourself up for one second longer. Rejoice in your victories. Learn from your mistakes. Let the pain of regrets fade right into the night, and enjoy the warmth and hope of a brighter tomorrow… 💗
      * so sorry for the long text. Hope I didn’t sound preachy. Just wanted to encourage you. 😊💕

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      • Thank you for your insight – you are indeed right and I didn’t find your message long at all. There are times you stop and take stock in your life, even if you have become a successful person, and wonder if you took the right path. I guess soul searching is a part of growing up and growing older. I admire your friend taking that big leap to go in a different direction at age 63. Your friend sounds like my friend Evelyn. Before my boss and I left the law firm after the merger which impacted his practice (they were going to raise his rates almost double and he didn’t want to lose clients, so we went out on our own), Evelyn worked in the law firm that acquired ours. Their firm is in Richmond, VA. So, we kept in touch after my boss and I left. Evelyn had a Masters degree in social work and could never find a job – we always compared notes as I have a journalism degree and never have used it. Finally, Evelyn decided she was going to go back to school at age 61 and specialize in gerontology administration. She started graduate school last August and will not graduate until May 2019. It is amazing to me hearing what school entails – very different from when we went to undergrad back in the mid-70s. Everything is electronic, classes half the time online and not in class. She was overwhelmed at first, and wasn’t sure she could make it and dropped one class, then decided to quit her job, using the money from the estate of her mom that passed away in 2016 to subsidize her through the completion of her studies. I have to admire people who have the ability to go after a goal and fulfill it … that is someone that I truly admire. Thank you for your kind thoughts regarding my mom – we were very close and she was my last remaining relative, so her sudden death was quite a blow to me.

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      • Wow! Your friend and mine do sound so alike. Such tenacious women. So admirable and encouraging to see! You will be in my prayers. I can only imagine your heartache. My mother-in-law says when you lose your mom, it’s like there’s a big hole in your life, and you never get to fill it back up; you just simply learn over time how to gracefully walk around it. I pray you do find the peace and joy she has been able to find through the years. Blessings to you. 💗

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      • Thank you for your kind words and prayers. It gets easier as time goes on, but the ads for Mother’s Day soon will be here and then you have that hole-in-your-heart-feeling again when you hear each ad about spending time with Mom … and you have no one.

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