It’s clear life is not a cakewalk. There’s much struggle and effort at every turn to build the life and relationships we desire. And this is not necessarily because of any personal failures on our part. There’s much in this world not as it should be and it’s still by the sweat of our brow that we eat.
We understand life takes effort – we must show up and do the work to produce the fruit we desire.
But often we don’t realize just how much will be required of us.
While difficult in its own right, we’d probably be okay if all we had to do was plant a few seeds and wait patiently for our heart desires to be fulfilled.
But our efforts are also marked with many thorns and thistles that make our work even more challenging.
For instance, doing the work that matters requires more than simply discovering and applying our gifts. We must often have to sort through many social, economic, and geographical barriers, not to mention the personal and relational ones as well.
There are a few who maintain friendships from childhood. But more than mere desire is needed for those of us seeking to build true community as adults. We must also fight through basic time requirements, scheduling conflicts, and other life commitments to foster the deep friendships we desire.
Likewise, it’s not enough to simply spend quality time with our family and share our values with them. We must also regularly stand against and remove corrupting weeds of thought and influence from our home.
Time and again, it seems like more is required of us than what should be. And, in a sense, this is true. Throughout our life and relationships we continue to live by the sweat of our brow.
This is not for us to grow discouraged, but rather to set realistic expectations as we continue to fight the good fight.
There’s much good to be enjoyed throughout life. But this is often achieved through the sweat of our brow.
Keep pressing on.
Photo by Abby Savage on Unsplash
