Challenges

Life is not meant to be easy. Your life, no matter how hard you work, how much you study, how good or beautiful or kind you are, is not going to be without challenges. You were created for challenges. It is divinely designed that way.

This was the philosophy I was taught, and still believe today. Life can be will be hard, and when it is—you grit your teeth and keep going.

• Make adjustments.

• Ask for help.

• Do your duty.

• Be tough.

• Keep going.

Unfortunately, the world view has changed, and there is now an expectation that life is meant for pleasure and comfort. Life should be easy, instant, and self-gratifying.

• Seek entertainment, ALWAYS!

• Do what feels good.

• Avoid awkwardness.

• The right thing is whatever you decide it is in the moment.

It’s a lie. Don’t believe it.

A life of pure pleasure exploits the worst part of human nature. Horrible things happen to people when we spend our lives pursuing pleasure above all else. People become selfish, narcissistic, and unloving. Who cares about anyone else? Everything is about ME. Ew, folks.

Gross.

In contrast, humans were made for a challenging world. Hard things happen all the time. People you love die. People you know and love get divorced. People get fired from their jobs, and can’t find new ones. People don’t have enough food, or clean water. Many people are victims of abuse of one kind or another. People lie and cheat and steal and murder. Innocent people go to prison for crimes they didn’t commit. People struggle with a myriad of diseases that affect both the body and the mind. There are so many challenges that exist—and they come bundled together in the box of Life.

But you were made for this.

Challenges aren’t there to destroy you, but to strengthen you.

Yesterday, I heard some information that troubled me. I immediately went to worst-case scenarios in my head, playing out all the things I dreaded in full detail. I was in full freakout mode. It was an interesting way to spend an afternoon. I don’t recommend it, honestly. Then, I started thinking back over the experiences of my life, and the unwanted challenges that have come to me. Each one has been hard—and many are still hard today—yet I am stronger and better and wiser because of them.

All of a sudden, my perspective changed and cleared. Ease is not the goal. It’s never been the goal. So when difficult things come up (and they ALWAYS do), there is a choice to be made. I could fight against reality, hollering about the unfairness of it all and settling quite nicely into a victim mentality. Or I could accept that a well-lived life comes with hardships included. Like batteries should be. 😜

We (all of us!) were made for challenges.

Let’s go.