Strength in the Struggle

Photo By: Ian Chen on Unsplash.com

I was talking with some friends just this morning and one of them mentioned butterflies. 

"I just love that they used to be caterpillars and then turned into butterflies."

It was the transformation that was admired.

They have to go through that change. In that cocoon they grow wings, and they have to use those wings to break out of the cocoon.

If they don't break out, they don't fly.

If someone cuts the cocoon open to help the butterfly out, not only will it never fly, it will not live either.

Without the strength gained from the struggle of breaking out, their wings don't have the strength to lift the new creature. They never fulfill their purpose.

Therein lies our problems with accomplishing goals.

Somewhere along the way, we encounter a wall. Some obstacle comes up and as our cocoon shakes, someone helps us out. We never develop the strength to break out.

We don't learn the skill or do the things that cause us to grow. We don't rise into our purpose because we don't go through the pain of the struggle.

We don't learn to persevere and die never flying.

Push through. Find a way. Keep going. If you have to read something, do it. If you have to learn a skill, do it. If you have to eat rice once a day for a week because that's all you have, do it. But keep going. 

I've said it a hundred times if I've said it once - God didn't bring you this far just to bring you this far.

Here's some things you can do to develop the grit it takes to break out.

1. Honestly assess the situation. - Take a step back and look at the big picture. We tend to focus on the problem. When you look at everything, you can see all the assets and resources you have on hand. And what you need.
   
2. Find people who can teach you how to get what you don't have, not get it or do it for you. You've heard the adage before - give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he can eat for the rest of his life.
   
3. Implement the changes. Whether you're comfortable doing big changes or if you, like me, are better doing small changes, start changing what needs to be changed. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome each time. Growth comes from change.
   
4. Keep track of your progress. Even the little things. I'll go this far - especially the little things. Here's why: it's a record of where you came from and a guideline of where you're going.  By keeping track of progress, you can see where course corrections need to be made.
   
5. Keep going. I can't emphasize this enough. Keep going, even if it's a half a step at a time. Keep going. Even when it hurts, keep going. Even when people tell you it can't be done, keep going. Even when people quit on you, keep going. 
   

You will never accomplish a goal if you only learn how to quit when it gets tough. 


Your purpose demands your strength, your pain develops it.