Life Is Hard

I am not sure when or where the false hood started for me? Somewhere along the line, I bought into the idea that life is about being happy. You grow up and achieve, what you want to achieve, whatever that may be for you…Get married, buy a house, have a family, work hard, play hard, love your family, surround yourself with great friends, be good to others and Walaa, happy life! …Then reality hits!

Reality hits when things don’t go according to your plan…it may go something like this…the dreams you had for your life aren’t coming true and hope is dwindling daily…your loved one passes away and your heart will never be the same…Your job is draining the life out of you and you feel stuck…Sickness attacks your loved one and you feel powerless to make it better…Your relationship is on the rocks and you don’t know if you can muster the strength to fight for it…However, it may look or feel for you…the bottom line is reality really can bite!

I’ve been pondering some pretty sobering questions lately that challenge the way I have thought, the way I prioritize my time here on earth.  What if life isn’t about being happy?  What if the tough times, the hurt and the pain exist on purpose?  What if life is just plain hard and I need to find a way to enjoy the journey anyway?

I feel like the older I get the less I know…things are grayer for me than they once were.  However, this I do know…Life is indeed hard but God is Soooo Good!  I’m clinging to this truth tighter than I ever have before…holding to this truth when my feelings may be screaming something entirely the opposite!  To find peace, contentment and joy in the midst of all the storms of this life is the goal…How do I get there?  Well, I’m still figuring that out, but I take comfort in the fact that, this life is not the end for me, I am just passing through…that I can enjoy the sweet times of life and cherish them and I can also stand through the storms, for however long they may rage because I serve a God who has overcome the world.

God has created my life and your life for a purpose and it involves much more than our own personal happiness in the here and now.  His purposes are eternal and this girl can suffer from short sightedness.  I have a feeling the quicker I can embrace this concept, the “happier” I will be.  Wishing you joy on your journey!

“I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” – John 16:33 The Message