Is the Struggle Worth It

Struggles. Everyone has them. Some struggles are smallish while others are ginormous! Whether it’s studying for a final … losing those last five pounds to reach a desired weight … or deciding to end a toxic friendship … it’s often hard to know which way to turn. How do we know to push through or cut our losses and walk away from our struggle? Is the struggle worth it … is the battle worth the aggravation we may need to exert for the desired outcome?

I Hate Struggling

I’d like to say my faith is strong enough that I don’t struggle, but that’s not true. Struggles come daily, but so does grace.

Sometimes just the process of trying to find the answers to the questions of how to continue forward seems as difficult as that struggle itself.

That’s when I do my best to return to Grace and remember what is always best to do first.

First Things First

First, we need to see our struggles for exactly what they are. Comparing our struggle to someone else only adds to the problem. All struggles are personal. And we need to respect them and not talk them away. But we need to know what we’re facing.

Comparing our struggle to someone else only adds to the problem.

The Bible is filled with stories of struggle. One of my favorites can be found in the Old Testament book of Joshua, instructing him to take the city of Jericho. These instructions seemed a bit unorthodox. But we know God knew exactly what Joshua was facing. The city of Jericho was surrounded by a protective wall that nothing had proved to penetrate. But God was clear. Take the city of Jericho.

Do you remember the children’s nursery rhyme?

Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho
and the walls came a-tumbling down

God didn’t say the walls would fall immediately. He didn’t say it would be easy. He said, “I have delivered Jericho into your hands.” To claim the victory that was already theirs, Joshua and his army had to trust God and his promises.

How many times do you think they considered stopping because what they were doing didn’t seem to make a difference? Do you think Joshua’s army felt a bit foolish marching around the gated city while soldiers looked on? Yet Joshua stayed focused on the task at hand. He didn’t stop. Even after six days of doing what he needed to do, he kept going.

Are you Dealing with a Day Six?

How close have you come to stopping when something seemed too difficult or impossible to achieve? How many times have you come to your Day Six, but decided to quit because it was too hard or you didn’t see any reason to continue? Ask God for His direction regarding your struggle. If you seek wisdom from God, he will tell you to whether keep pushing through or cut your losses.

Sometimes the pain of pushing on is so deep it may seem easier to just quit. How can I figure out if the struggle is worth it? Share on X

Hang in there with whatever you’re dealing with! You may be at Day Six and not even know it.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.