Struggles Make Us Stronger

I'll say it again . . . 

Life is hard.

Our jobs, our education, our families, our marriages, our friendships--at one time or another all of them are hard. This is to say nothing about financial struggles, failures, disappointments, enemies, and the like.

Everything can be, and at one time or another, is hard.

Life is a struggle.

Rejoice!

Really? Rejoice, as in show joy? Be glad?

Yep.  That's what Paul says in the verses above. And James in Chapter 1, verses 2-4. And Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12. And . . .

Rejoice and be glad, because struggle makes us stronger.

Does anyone like pain?

OK, sure, there are probably some people out there with various disorders who enjoy pain. The majority of us, however, don't. We'll do whatever we can, and whatever we have to, to avoid it. Pain isn't pleasant.

The thing is, without pain, there is rarely growth. Take an athlete. Can she become better, faster, stronger without some degree of pain? Or a student--can he master his studies without enduring hours of work? Does an artist produce a masterpiece without failure, or a parent an obedient child without discipline?

No.

We might not like pain, but we need it. To grow.

Look beyond the hardships.

I think that's the real lesson for us here. The point Paul, and James, and Jesus are making isn't that we should enjoy the pain, but rather look forward to what it produces. We are to rejoice not so much in the struggles of life, but the fruits they produce.

Think of marriage. Is every day easy? Mine isn't. But is the resulting growth of love, intimacy, and strength of bond worth the effort of endurance? Absolutely. As are the difficulties of parenting. The trials of friendship. The testings of faith.

The rejoicing comes on the other side.

Challenges are opportunities for growth.

That's one of those lines from countless self-help, team-building, and you-can-do-it seminars. It is also God's truth found in His Word. Suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance produces character. Character produces hope.

Hope makes us stronger.

Life is hard, yes.

Rejoice, because we are the stronger for it!