Monday, August 3, 2009

On Struggles and Struggling

In the week that passed, I have witnessed how people struggle to fulfill goals, accomplish requirements, meet expectations and obey rules from higher authorities.

Struggle may be a heavy term. Nonetheless, if efforts exerted and time spent would be considered in the pursuit of people's endeavors, truly, everyone has undergone their own struggle. In my point of view, at least.

Some treated their struggle with calm and easiness, simply believing in themselves that they can do it. Some struggled with nervousness and fear, turning down opportunities at first but getting it after wise discernment - having realized that regret is of no value in life. With a clout of impeccable fear, others totally turned their backs on challenges and just did their crafts in midnight dreams. While some believed in the power of dreaming and transcending their limits as they faced their struggle with a handful of passion and courage.

I, myself, have succumbed into present demands, trying to live each day as if it was my last. I realized: being committed was different from fulfilling commitments. In the former, a dint of burning passion could suffice; nonetheless, in the latter, not only passion was required, but fidelity to your commitment and the value for responsibility as well.

Likewise, dreaming that you are somewhere was different from being there. For instance, when you envision yourself to be atop a mountain, the endpoint of it would be yourself seeing the world at its best. Be that as it may, once you have reached the mountain and have seen the view on top, you would think of other things to do to take advantage of you being there. And you would struggle to fulfill plans that you would lay down before you go down the mountain and chronicle your experience - because you would adjust to the condition of the mountain that was entirely different from that where you have resided.

The struggle to be committed and the struggle of fulfilling commitments. The struggle to dream that you are somewhere and the struggle to do things while you are there. Yielding struggles in life has never been easy. But if you come to think of it, in the absence of struggle comes anxiety. In the dullness of the day, you would ask yourself, "What am I going to do?" Consequently, you would end up feeling useless because you do not struggle.



Given the variety of people's manners and ways in handling struggles, I have witnessed how one, once consumed by regret and inability to control, has now tried to cope with a struggles given the spark of hope that has been left in her heart.

Watching her share her experiences during class:

Meters away from me stood a woman who has cried liters of tears and has lost the happiness that she has had for sometime. Back on her toes, she shared both her mishaps and her renewed hope for a better tomorrow - offering it not only to herself, but also for her friends. And above all, her family.

Tears flow from her eyes once again. But now, it was not the eerie look on her eyes that mesmerized me. Rather, the conviction that she exuded upon uttering, "I want to prove myself that I can do it."

There's a rainbow always after the rain. At the lowest ebb of one's life comes hope. Hope never leaves the heart of those who seek for love and hang on their faith. As Paul's letter to the Corinthians say, "So faith, hope, love remain. These three."

When much is given, much is expected. God never leaves us amidst our struggles. The set of footprints on our sand belongs to Him.

0 comments: