Why is Life So Hard?

Does anybody else find it a little easier to get knocked down and feel a little sad this time of year?  Or you start thinking about how you meant to start the New Year with a nice, clean organized house, healthy meal ingredients in the refrigerator, etc., etc.  Then you realize January is half over, your holiday time off from work is over and you didn’t get nearly accomplished what you wanted to at home.

Yeah, that happens to me too.

So one sad feeling can so easily lead to another, then another and then you’ve got this crazy tangled web of feelings that aren’t even related to each other and it all could’ve been stopped.

But how do you stop feelings from spiraling out of control?

If you read on looking for a simple answer you think I’m much smarter than I am, so let’s level with some expectations management here:  There’s a lot that I lack in knowledge, wisdom and general ability, but I compensate by hanging out with people who have more of that stuff than me in hopes that it will wear off on me sometime!

So, I asked a friend recently why life is so hard sometimes and she quickly said, “So that we don’t get so comfortable we just want to hang around here on earth.  We’re supposed to be in the world, not of the world.”

You know with our hearts.  We need to long for eternity, not just be cool with chillin on a dirt road in the back of a pick-up truck like a good country song, properly cooking pork to 145 degrees (still slightly pink in the center because that’s safe and tastes better) or whatever really floats your boat.

Then part of my morning scripture reading today was about what Paul and Barnabas did.  Acts 14:22 …strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.  “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

No sugar coating any of this business, life’s challenging for everyone!  It sure does give my extreme Type A personality some peace to know there’s purpose behind everything that happens.

So, hang in there and keep going.  Life isn’t easy, but God made you tough enough to do it.  Focus on Him, eat pork and keep walking!