Personal Spiritual Transformation and Development
St Stephens Practice, 21a St Stephens Road
Norwich Norfolk NR1 3SP

The Seven Gifts of Struggle

Listener’s Question – “Why do we struggle to gain strength?’

On this weeks radio show ‘The Cindy Hurn Show’ my listeners questioned the value of struggle. “Why do we have to do it?” “What do we gain?” “Can we not just stop going through hard things? Stop midway and move onto something else?”

At present, with the challenges of COVID19, many are struggling. The ground shifts below us. Uncertainty and fear grow as future security is in question. I feel like we are in one of those snow globes. The powers that be have picked it up and are giving it a good ole’ shake. The  problem is it has as yet to be put back down so we can appreciate the beauty of change.

Struggle reminds us everything has a purpose.

What is the value of suffering?

The gifts of struggle –

  1. Like the snow globe metaphor, life challenges shake us awake. We are habitual thinkers and tend to just keep doing what we are doing. There is no need to review, rethink, adjust. Which is exactly what struggle insists. It wakes us up out of slumber.
  1. Struggle opens the Heart. Teaching us compassion for others. One only needs to go through a serious illness to realise how tough many have it. When experiencing a life changing struggle, illness, bereavement, job loss, relationship issues,  awareness grows and with it the realisation it’s not just about you. Intense struggle is universal.
  1. Within all are ‘do-abiltiy’ muscles which strengthen with struggle. No different to going to the gym. There we strengthen the body.  Struggle pushes us to do things often we have never done nor thought we could ever do. Strengthening the Spirit.
  1. Awareness grows. The wake-up call of struggle opens our eyes. Demanding we step up a gear. Do things differently . Embrace the new normal.
  1. Struggle is the teacher of change. What we thought we knew shifts into the unknown. The goal? Shift within it. Be open to the new. Ask yourself “What can I do different?”
  1. It throws open the door of the imagination. The challenge? You have a choice. Either you feed your imagination with fear. Or take the reins, harnessing its’ power. Dream your dream awake.
  1. Always struggle expands the mind. Calls on the Spirit to rise up, ride the dragon and use the energy of change rather than be battered about by its fiery breath.

To ignore, give up, is to remain passive. Struggle’s only purpose then is to destroy. Like the phoenix rising from the fire struggle demands we utilise inner strength, tap into imagination and create positive change. Struggle is our wake up call. The sooner we wake up to the task in hand – the sooner the nightmare ends.