The Value of Struggle

Good Morning 12th Mile Runners…. 🏃🏻‍♀️

My athletic trainer makes me uncomfortable—on purpose! 🏋️‍♀️

He is kind. He is compassionate.  But…he is hard, again, on purpose!

In fact, it doesn’t seem to bug him that much when he allows me to hurt…a bit. 

He watches me carefully. However, he persists in leading me to pursue strength. Less fragility in me—my back and my hips—is more important to him. He allows me to…ahh, suffer?

Coach Ben sees more. He wants more.

I do too. But sometimes I forget that increased strength comes at a price: struggle.

Author and former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens emphasizes this in his book, Resilience. Greitens shares: 

The benefits of struggling—of being challenged, afraid, pained, confused—are so precious that if they could be bottled, people would pay dearly for them. But they can’t be bottled. And if you want the wisdom, the strength, the clarity, the courage that can come from struggle, the price is clear: you have to endure the struggle first.

(Greitens, Eric.  Resilience, p.8)

And in a larger perfect sense, like my coach, God is okay with me…  being uncomfortable…even hurting a bit!

In my experience, he has desired to train the strength of my love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in my character. (Galatians 5:22-23)  I must admit it; there are days when the effort IS hard and I am not particularly motivated to do the work!  🤕

Then I ask myself: What do I really want?

My conclusion? 

Hard in this life is not necessarily bad. Hard is often just hard.

And in God’s hands, it becomes formation…

With love,

Louise Ann