Strength Through Struggle

Have you ever noticed those guys at the gym? You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones who all seem to gather together in a corner of the gym. They have muscles on top of their muscles and they push each other to do one more rep, one more set, a few more pounds. They push their bodies to tremendous levels , through tremendous resistance, not necessarily because they enjoy it but because of the strength that is gained through the struggle. True of a weight lifters struggle -- even more true in life.

For many, the thought of struggle, the thought of pain is something that we shun. Who wants to go through trouble? Who invites pain? I've yet to meet anyone who walks out their front door in the morning, takes a stand on the front porch, looks out into the world and says, "Come on world, give me your worst. I'm looking forward to gaining strength because of the resistance that I am going to face. I'm looking forward to the struggle. Bring it on!" No - we'd rather be pampered, catered to, and treated with kit gloves in the lap of luxury rather than have to face the struggle. And yet many of us are living lives in a horrible state of weakness, not because God is not strong and not because we're incapable of strength. Rather we are weak because we resist God's allowance of us to go through the struggles in life that are not sent to kill us but to strengthen us. Strength is always gained through struggle.

It is the struggles of labor that gives us the great miracle of child birth. It is the struggles of cracking and breaking through the outer shell of the egg that causes the baby bird to have enough strength to survive. It is the effort of the crushing of the grapes that produces the wine. It is the crushing of the olives that gives us the chef's best friend, olive oil. It is the pressure of the earth that turns coal to diamonds. It is the struggle to remove the grain of sand from the mouth of the oyster that creates the pearl. It is the struggle that brings strength.

Babe Ruth is considered to be one of the greatest baseball hitters of all time. Most fail to realize that he is also one of the most prolific strike out producers to have ever played the game. Most think of Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of our generation, if not of all time. Certainly he was a prolific scorer and when you consider his championships and his scoring titles and his ability to play defense, the word great seems to fit. No one ever complains about how many shots he missed. Until John Elway won his first Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers in January of 1998, he was considered just good enough to win games but not good enough to win the big one. As a matter of fact, he had lost 3 Super Bowls. As with every great athlete, it is not their victories that define them but rather their response to their failure. The main difference between the good and the great is the desire to get up and keep going despite their failure. Those that keep going, accepting the struggle and gaining the strength.

Why must we struggle? Why couldn't God just give us all the strength we need? Why must we go through tough times to become what God wants us to be? The Bible describes Job as a man who was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. Job seems to be a man who spiritually had it all together. Until one day God decides to allow the life of Job to face some amazing struggle. And yes, it got pretty tough. His struggle was something that no one would ever want to have to go through. And yet, because he endured the struggle and lived through the shame of perceived failure - the Bible says that the latter days of Job were more blessed than the beginning. Strength birthed in struggle.

So why does God allow us to face adversity? Paul gives us, in my opinion, the greatest explanation as to His purpose for our struggles, our hurt. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." God allows our struggle and then when He comforts us, it is not because He feels sorry for us. He comforts us because He knows the strength that we gain through the struggle gives us the ability to now comfort others in the same way that Christ has comforted us. Know that when you are facing horrible struggles that seem completely out of control, it is not designed to kill you but rather God intends to use those moments of hurt to allow you to be able to bring peace and comfort to someone else who's also going through a time of hurt that is about to overwhelm them.

I talked to a friend this morning. She and her husband went through a horrible event in their life. Their entire home was destroyed by fire and they lost everything - their furniture, their pictures, their clothing, their memories, everything. When it happened, they went through a horrible period of depression and frustration, couldn't understand why they were facing such a horrible event. A few years later, they received a call from a friend who's neighbor had just lost a home by fire. As the ashes were still smoldering, fire department was still on the scene, my friend showed up and walked up to this lady and said, "I once lost my home in a fire. . .". In that moment, she realized the joy of knowing that her hurt could now be a help to someone else. She realized that God's comfort to her was now being shown to someone else. Her struggle had birthed a strength in her that God was now using.

So why do we face struggle? So why do we go through pain and even failure? God is using them to give us strength and out of our weakness He is made even stronger in our lives. Jesus never wastes a hurt, He never waste our pain. He gives us the strength to overcome and we can then be a blessing to someone else. I pray God's best in your life - Love each of you - In the midst of your struggle, you are gaining strength - and the strength you gain will help you overcome every obstacle that you face. And having overcome, begin to look for opportunities because God will bring someone to your path who needs the comfort you received from God.

Until next time - God bless - RP