struggling

Struggling is not popular in our present feel good, shallow, pop Christianity, nor in our culture, for that matter. I hate to come across as negative here, but I believe that there is a disconnect from the stark honesty and realism we find in Scripture, and much of what we see portrayed as Christian today.

Struggling is a part of life. We see it in nature, natural processes from God enabling life, for example the process by which the caterpillar becomes the butterfly. It's all over the pages of Scripture where we read time and again of people struggling with life, with God and God's will. True even of Jesus in Gethsemane.

I'm thinking of struggle here in general terms, but it can include struggle over sin, over life itself and disappointments and troubles we're encountering, over any number of things generic to this fallen world.

Sometimes we can look down on our times of struggle as down times, or times when we were unspiritual. But these can be times of much growth and even breakthrough into something better in our lives in Jesus. Struggle is not to be despised. Instead we should seek to learn from it. We can ask ourselves before God, why we're struggling, and pray to God who indwells us to search our hearts and reveal to us anything contrary to his will. And look to him to change us.

If you're struggling before God, keep at it. Keep doing so before God, as one in Jesus. Find a trusted friend, preferably one you can count truly as a mentor or spiritual director to whom you can share your struggle with, and confess any sin. That can be a tremendous blessing and help. Don't air it out to everyone. That won't be helpful either for them or for you. And above all, keep bringing yourself and your struggle to God, in faith that he can help you work through it, and grow because of it. These are seasons of potential growth and change.

What might you add here?