Life is filled with many hurdles. And there are some people who will actively stand against us and try to keep us from achieving our desires. But many times our biggest fight is with our very selves. We must regularly wrestle with ourselves to discover the good God has for us.
Of course, it’s easy to name and blame those things outside of us that keep us from enjoying the good we desire.
And, to be fair, these are often legitimate obstacles. Sometimes we’re not given a fair chance in life and there are those who will take advantage of us every chance they get.
At the same time, it’s often our very selves we must confront to live life full and free.
For instance, we might need to wrestle with our anger. While we might be rightly mad at the injustices we’ve experienced, we must still figure out what to do with our anger to move toward peace. And this generally confronts us with our own pride and the need to practice forgiveness.
In the name of fairness we might try to make everyone the same. But this external “fix” doesn’t resolve the envy and jealousy still in our own hearts. We must face our shame and learn to find joy in the glory God has given us.
Likewise, while life is filled with many uncertainties that naturally spark fear, we must confront our own desperate need for control and learn to rest in the sufficiency of God’s grace.
Time and again, it’s so easy to get caught up in the things outside of us that we don’t deal with the issues in our own heart.
And, in doing so, we just set ourselves up for our downfall.
In the end, be willing to address every external obstacle that gets in your way. And remember you yourself might be your own biggest obstacle. Wrestle with yourself often to discover the life and goodness God has for you.
Photo by Felipe Simo on Unsplash
