When Were We Ever Told… Life is Easy?

Everyday Setbacks and Frustrations?  They are the part of life… when we learn what we’re made of and what we need to change.

      Sometimes, we think we are making progress on a personal, professional, or social situation… only to suffer a setback. Although the events of the setback seem almost tragic at the time, they are merely bumps in the road to our “perfected self.” Afterall, we are only passing through Earth on our way to Eternity.

 

     This thought gives me the courage to plod on… following my own path. Someone might intentionally be negative or hurtful to us. Maybe we are demoted at work or even lose employment. Sometimes, a loved one tells us that they no longer are “in love” with us… or even worse… have betrayed us with infidelity. And how often have we all had to actually hear things about ourselves that we knew to be false? How do we react; how do we deal? It is not always easy, but I try to take the higher road.

 

      This does not mean that you don’t react at all… and just walk away without efforts to understand or correct the situation at the time. However, it must be done with Honor and with Integrity. Do not retaliate with nasty words or hasty deeds. It brings nothing if not more hurt. Ultimately, the opposer will forget the incident and you will carry the burden of guilt in how poorly you handled the test/challenge as it was presented to you by God.

 

     What helps me with negative situations is to ask myself: “Is this the worst thing that has ever happened to me?” “When I’m done here with my time on Earth… how much will this test/challenge mean?” “Does this define who I am as a person?” Or in the past few years, ” Does this take away from what I’ve already accomplished?”  The answer is always… no.

 

     Even the most heartfelt attempts to correct a wrong are not always successful. That makes me see things more clearly. Life isn’t meant to be easy.