Everyone goes through hard times. One of my favorite sayings is, ?Be kind, for everyone is fighting an uphill battle? (author unknown). Sometimes we get stuck thinking we are the only one struggling, but we?re not alone.
I fall prey to this feeling. Things are just not going the way I think they should, or something terrible happens, or I just can?t seem to see any light at the end of the tunnel, but I have to remember, I?m not alone.
People all across the world are struggling, just like me.
They may not be struggling with the same exact things, but they are struggling, so be kind and remember that. Too many people walk around with a chip on their shoulder because they believe life is so hard and they are the only one with problems. It makes for a very unhappy world.
If we remember that everyone is suffering and if we all looked out for one another, the world would be a much happier, healthier place. Sure, there will always be skeptics and unhappy people, but does that mean you have to be one? No way!
It?s amazing what a small gesture of kindness can do for someone. When you?re walking down the street, and someone is passing by you, look into his or her eyes and say, ?hello.? Maybe they?ll say hello and smile back at you. Maybe they won?t. Either way, you were the bigger, better person, and perhaps they?ll think about it later that day and it will make them smile. If that?s the case, you did your job! You also scored some good points if you believe in karma!
Another saying I really love is, ?God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers? (author unknown).
I?m a believer, and sometimes I wonder why God would let such terrible things happen to me. Sometimes I might feel resentful about it because it?s difficult to remember that this life is molding us into the people we are meant to be. Without tough times, we would be someone entirely different. In fact, we would probably be someone we wish we weren?t.
Be grateful for those battles. It may sound crazy, but it?s important. If there is someone out there who isn?t fighting any battles, then good for them. But they will not be as strong as you or I. They will struggle with even the smallest problems. Do you want that for yourself?
I think of it like this: I?ve seen and known people who haven?t had the struggles I?ve had, and I would never want to be that person. To them, everything is a life-altering problem; even the small issues are huge issues to them. I definitely don?t want to be that person.
I also think of Adam and Eve. If they had not eaten that apple, we all would be living a much different life right now. But they did, and we are paying for it. So, let?s pay our dues and move on. Someday, we won?t have to worry about paying those dues anymore.
We will all have problems in life. It?s what we do with each problem that matters. If we sulk and feel sorry for ourselves, then the problems will grow. If we learn from the problem, and move on, the problem will shrink, and we will be a better person for it.
Just recently I had a fake check sent to me. I?m still not sure why, but it really caused some huge issues for me. I used a lot of the money from it to pay bills before I found out it wasn?t legit, so now I owe the bank a lot of money. I was very angry about this, and I couldn?t understand why someone would do this to another human being.
I can sit and stew on this, or I can learn from it. If I sit and stew on it, what will it change? Absolutely nothing. So what?s the point? Instead, I can take the very valuable lesson I learned and use it for other things in my life. I can become a better person because of it.
I know that I would never do something like that to someone else, so it?s difficult for me to understand why someone would. But I don?t have to worry about why. God gave me this battle for a reason, and I?m going to learn from it and move on.
I hope this helps you to understand that you are a soldier. You are strong and courageous. You can fight and win any battle thrown your way, and you WILL get through it.
Just remember you?re never alone. You never have to fight these battles all by yourself, and you never have to worry about losing. There will always be light at the end of the tunnel, even if you can?t see it just yet?keep looking. Don?t give up. You?ll be a better person for it.
Copyright 2019. Jennifer Hovda ? All Rights Reserved
