I have to admit, it’s been a rough week, friends. Honestly, I’m getting a little tired of looking for houses. It’s been a busy week at work and everyone around me seems a little tense. On top of it all, I’m being tested in this tense environment. Yes, this makes for a weary Journeyer. And now that I’ve referred to myself in the third person, this post can continue. Maybe this is my naivety, my inexperience, but I’m asking what it means. What is the purpose of all this struggle?

Struggle isn’t needless
God never forces us to struggle to watch us squirm. In fact, He’s not the one afflicting us. Leaving that conversation for another time, God allows us to struggle always for a very distinct purpose. As our Father, He’s giving us exactly what we need, when we need it. There is nothing that doesn’t have a specific timing or purpose. I, for one, am grateful for this knowledge.

“Like a soldier trudging through the mud”
There have been many days for me that have felt like I am trudging through mud. That’s not what troubles me. It’s the fact that I don’t feel in control; I’m not choosing the destination, nor do I have a clear vision of what it looks like. And there will be more. However, sometimes, it’s best that I don’t know the destination. Most of the time, I’d probably try to avoid it. If I knew the next destination without seeing the grand vista, I’d only seek to thwart it every step of the way. So I trudge.

Love is right over the next hill
Though the journey gets tough, this is what keeps me going. You see, whether it’s in community, parents, friends or God, we really just want love. Struggle often represents an eclipsing of love in our lives. I suppose it could be. But struggle is meant to help us to appreciate the love we’re already receiving that much more. Or it’s meant to awaken us to seek it out once more. Whatever it may be for you, embrace struggle as I’m trying this week. Your prize is waiting for you over the next hill.

Love: it’s what we all need and what we all need to fight for. Without it, this planet is nothing more than a cold, dark rock. But, I can’t imagine God creating life for this purposelessness. No. Love is a struggle and it is the noble struggle. Yes, the struggle is mighty, but the reward beyond compare. Fight friends. Fight, struggle for love and you will never lose. Because you’ll realize that you’re really fighting for God. And He will never lose.