Why Was Life Not Meant to Be Easy?

The workload of life seems so hard,

Especially those hoops we’ve got to jump through,

But as soon as we realise everyone’s similarly marred,

We might as well jump right back into the queue!

It’s far too rational an idea to give up part the way through something, for instance, studying a degree. The moment we realise that the journey is as tough for the next person (and the next) we understand life is not as unfair as it seems. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.

This is necessarily a hard and an obtuse word: one difficult to comprehend, let alone write. Life is hard. Achieving one thing that is worthwhile will require all our focus and attention, and potentially years of toil.

Whether it’s the role of parent or student or business owner or mortgagee... not to mention a plethora of other roles... life is designed to break us; spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically.

But when we are broken we find it’s not the end – not by a long shot.

Brokenness, in the conception of progress, is a yardstick for achievement. Those who are broken and broken and broken – again, over and over, and again – learn something about themselves and life.

The thing is this: nothing can defeat us in the moment of sustaining.

As we stand outside in the rain of defeat, having seriously pondered, again, whether or not, and how, to give up, we realise that there is nothing gained in giving up. Then we stride back into the queue. We get back on in the task we have set for ourselves.

When NOT to Give up – When NOT to Give In

Serious discouragement tends to wrestle with our sense of justice.

Sooner or later we will find ourselves justifying a poor logic. We may even know what it is we are giving up – and we may even want not to give up. We may feel we have little choice.

It is best to get some space – space for reconciling the right sort of impetus to continue the joust. Sometimes it’s about getting a week or two away – or a day even. Other times it’s about changing tack completely, but retaining that which we must not give up.

When there is a great and inevitable goal we are striving for, it’s not good to give up or give in – we sacrifice the exhilaration we would otherwise experience.

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Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. Everyone has the same challenges, give or take. Sustaining our vigour in serious discouragement is about revitalising our vision. If we will only continue as we started we will make it all the way!

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.