Finding Joy When #TheStruggleIsRealSample

  Day 1: The Struggle is Real—And That’s Good!

How are you?

If you’re like me, when asked this at the grocery store or by a friend you haven’t seen in a while, your response is usually: “Fine!” 

Fine is a terrible little word. It is a tired, shouldn’t-this-be-different kind of word. Fine is what you say when you wonder if things are supposed to feel as hard as they do even in your so-called “good life.”

It’s funny how the little struggles often reveal the most about what’s really underneath the surface of all this “fine” we claim to be. It doesn’t matter that those struggles feel minor in the grand scheme of life—because those little struggles dig into a deeper place in our souls. Those little struggles lead us to wonder if we really have what it takes to make it in our lives, or if maybe we missed an important class somewhere about how to actually be a joyful and free human being. 

I believe that God has written a story line for each one of us that integrates all of the random and frustrating and confusing struggles—both little and big—into a life of wholeness and purpose. 

God’s Word is clear that when we choose to follow Him, we should expect to be changed—not a little, but entirely transformed. God’s kind of change doesn’t make our lives perfect—but it does make them expansive. He offers us lives of freedom and space rather than confinement and striving. He who can calm the storm, raise the dead, and mystify the wisdom of the world still chooses to enter into individual lives with such humility that we often don’t know it’s happened until we look back and realize He’s been there for a long time. 

The struggles we face are not just real, they are also good. They are the very substances God uses to form our character and move us toward freedom. They are the trenches where we work out the important stuff of life—where we learn how to overcome everyday frustrations, messy relationships, and our lack of joy and purpose—to become people of honesty, depth, and strength.

Yes, the struggle is real. But in the midst of the hard, heavy, and confusing, we have a God who has provided a way for us to not only understand life, but to grow stronger and smarter through it all.

Conversation Starter: Talk about a time in your life that you experienced what you would consider to be a “good struggle.” What did you learn from it?

Getting Started: Put a check by the statements that currently describe you. Answer honestly—this is for your growth!

____ 1. I am totally committed to knowing the truth about myself. I am not afraid to ask others  around me to help me see blind spots or trouble areas in my life.

____ 2. I have a peaceful and non-anxious presence, both inside and out.

____ 3. Generally I feel that my soul is untroubled and undisturbed. I have nothing to hide.

____ 4. I regularly and sincerely ask for forgiveness from my family, friends, and coworkers.

____ 5. I respect my own heart, body, and soul as something to be cherished.

____ 6. I treat conflicting patterns of thinking and behaving in myself with gentleness.

____ 7. I have a clear sense of purpose in my life.

____ 8. I have experienced deep compassion for someone who has hurt me.

____ 9. I feel total freedom from my past hurts and regrets.

____ 10. I experience joy on a daily basis.

Each of these statements reflects a soul that is rigorously honest and refreshingly transparent—yet at the same time peaceful and secure. Read James 3:17-18, and as you go through your day, think about how “wisdom from heaven” shows up in your life—or doesn’t! 

Verses: 

Proverbs 3:1-18

James 3:17-18 

Proverbs 3:18-35