Significant Struggles

Struggles in life are inevitable, from minor to life-changing and overwhelming. God never promised a struggle-free life. When God clothed himself in the flesh and came to earth, He did not choose even for Himself to escape the struggles.

Why would the God of everything, Creator and Master of the Universe, choose to struggle? This is so foreign to our minds. We want to escape the struggles; we beg to escape the struggles, and we want the inconvenience, confusion, or pain to stop!

But what if the consequence of ease and leisure was worse? Yes, you heard me; what if that was worse? How many lessons of wisdom are missed when the battle is removed?

Let's consider parenting. Even if you are not a parent, you can observe children of all ages and stages around you. Children who demand their way or behave poorly often grow up to be the same type of adult. We frequently discuss the child and dislike being around them, but these issues can arise when a parent mistakenly believes they are showing love by eliminating any struggle. Parents who provided a book full of excuses about why their child couldn't live up to normal expectations or obey the rules. Whenever Johnny forgot his homework until the last minute, his parents did it for him (every single time). I am not belittling the real issues that some children and adults have. However, how many of us despise lazy folks who expect things handed to them on a silver platter? One factor contributing to these types of children and adults is a lack of struggle—parents who overindulge or spare their child from everyday life's challenges.

James knew this lesson well. James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations, knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. One definition of temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threaten long-term goals. Temptations are a form of struggle. We can see from this scripture that temptation and struggle are not to be avoided because they produce something good! I don't know about you, but I consider myself far from perfect! However, the Apostle James says to endure the temptation with faith, which produces patience and, in turn...what? Perfection!

Our Pastor often tells a story about a beautiful butterfly in a cocoon. A young man was camping and saw a butterfly struggling to emerge from its cocoon. Filled with misguided compassion, the young man freed the butterfly, and it fell to the ground. Sadly, it just wandered around, struggling to take flight, and then gave up and died. The young man was saddened, but after some research, he realized that he had caused the butterfly's death. What he thought was a beautiful act of love ended up killing it. The butterfly's struggle from the cocoon builds the strength for flight in its wings!

Having been a labor and delivery nurse for over 15 years, I have another example of a critical struggle to share. As a newborn baby is squeezed in the womb during labor, pushed tightly through the birth canal, and squeezed out into this world, the excess fluid in the lungs is forced out, and the alveoli and lungs are forced into expansion. This is a critical transition that helps prevent breathing complications in the newborn. Cesarean section babies do not get this, and the percentage of them that have breathing issues is significant, although we have learned things that can help.

These are examples of vital struggles that produce sound, even beautiful things! I do not know your struggles today. They could range from an irritating headache to an unexpected death that has you so worn down by grief that you cannot breathe or find the strength to continue. What I do know is that no matter the struggle, God is there, and He can produce something good if you let Him.

If you would like prayer or to hear about other topics, please leave a comment.