Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Hang in there: The easiest thing to say and the hardest thing to do

Hang in there.  I'm pretty sure that a lot of people say it frequently when someone they know comes into hardship and they don't know what else to say.  I've said it myself pretty frequently.  In my opinion, it stems from an inability to know what to say and even more inability to help with the situation.  Think about it...if you know a friend that's struggling financially and you don't have any finances to help them, what do you say?  Hang in there, it'll get better.  Why?  Because you can't help them and you have no idea what to tell them.  If you have a friend whose mother recently passed away, what do you say?  Hang in there, time heals all wounds.  Why?  Because you can't do anything that will help the situation or take the hurt away; you have no idea what else to say.

Believe in whatever larger than life being you want (or if you so choose, believe in nothing) but God has a funny way of allowing things to happen that make us feel completely and totally overwhelmed.  You're already dealing with a half dozen issues and He allows another issue to be piled on top.  Note how I phrased that though.  I don't believe that God CAUSES these problems but I believe that He allows them to happen.  Sometimes the reasoning is that He's trying to teach us a lesson.  Sometimes the reasoning is that we're too damn stubborn and want to do it our way so He allows us (remember, He gave us free will).  Sometimes the reasoning is that we're about the receive a great blessing and there has to be some rain before the rainbow.  Sometimes it has nothing to do with us at all, I think, but we're just affected by someone else's lot in life.

Whatever the reasoning or cause, hardships stink and "hang in there" is the easiest thing to say but the hardest thing to do.

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