“Why me?” – Dealing with Hardship

How many of us have asked ourselves, “Why me?”

If I had to take a guess, I would have to say that the answer would be A LOT.

However, it’s important to know that this is a legitimate question that is stemmed from legitimate feelings. This is a natural response and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Jesus himself asked our Lord, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” which translates to “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” If Jesus himself can ask this question, there is no reason why we can’t as Jesus was also human as we are.

It can be very easy to fall into the compulsions and traps that Satan uses to try and trick our minds. Many times, these traps trick us to fall into guilt, shame, despair, and so on. They can make us think that we are weak, when in fact, being one with our emotions makes us strong. Society itself can contribute to these traps and tricks by its lack of understanding and support in our daily lives. Especially in today’s modern day and age when there doesn’t even seem to be a minute in the day for us to just take a deep breath. There is this pushed narrative that we must constantly have a smile on our face, and we are a burden if we are feeling sad. It is as if we must constantly have every second of our lives put together with the most picture-perfect life and should continue to push ourselves with no time to merely feel.

Does that sound very realistic? No, it doesn’t.

This is because it isn’t.

Life is hard. There is no denying this fact. It’s reality. Whether one suffers more or less than another, it does not change the fact that this person has experienced a form of hardship in their life. There is not one person who has walked or is walking this planet who was or is safe from it. No one is safe from it. We as humans have free will and we can’t help what happens because of this free will.

People’s choices can lead to a harsh aftermath that leaves us hurt, sad, angry, confused, and much more. Yet, there is a form of wisdom that come from the suffering of our hardships. Scripture itself confirms this as stated in Proverbs 14:29, “With long suffering, comes great wisdom”. Our Lord is our Father, and He knows that we must go through challenges as we grow throughout life to develop into stronger people. It’s a bit of “tough love” to put it simply. Hardships also give us time to reflect and come closer to God. There is no being wiser than The Almighty, thus, we need him each and every day. He knows this and He is always there.

Therefore, take a deep breath.

Take a day off. Take a break. Take a walk. Take a look at everyone and everything around you. This worldly life was never meant to be perfect, but there is still plenty of beauty all around us. It may be only a glimpse of perfection as that is why our Heavenly Father has prepared a magnificent heaven that is waiting for us. Though, there is a reason why there is occasionally a rainbow at the end of a storm.

Whether this storm is a light summer rain or a vicious hurricane, it is a reminder of an end and a new beginning. Rainbows are God’s promise with man as we know from the story of Noah. Rainbows are a way for us to see that God has a colorful life in store for us if we keep seeing the beauty in Him and His creation despite these hardships. There is a meaning and there is ease in this life, somewhere, somehow.