#TheStruggle

Oh, that hashtag... It's a common one, right?

I checked Instagram and there were over 400k posts with #TheStruggle attached to them today. Some folks are sharing parenting woes, some folks are genuinely depressed, others are hungover or hate their jobs.

The struggle is different for everyone, and there's so much beauty in that. 400k posts today. What that tells me is, the struggle isn't exclusive - those tough life lessons that bring us to our knees aren't only for some. The struggle doesn't exclude any of us. Even in the moment, when you feel like you're the only going thru your struggle - you aren't. For me, 2016 sparked this really deeply transformational couple of years that I have titled "The blessing wrapped in shit". Ha! Here's the thing about me, I'm hard-headed, driven, motivated and stubborn as shit, and its served me well for the most part - but my lessons NEVER come as these gentle little love taps from the Universe. My lessons are never a calm whisper or messages written in the stars like every Disney movie. Nope, my lessons are giant brick walls and I drive right into them going 80 mph! Here's the thing about #TheStruggle tho... Every time we end up in the midst of that fire, and the flames bring you to your knees - we all have that moment where we question everything. We cry out, feeling forgotten, forsaken. We question what we did to deserve the punishment. Its human nature to do. Here's the thing about that fire tho... We are in the middle of it, questioning why we are even there in the first place and begging the Universe to deliver us from it - but that Struggle is meant to grow us WITHIN it. So, we are in the throws of our circumstance thinking God isn't concerned with us, and he's not... totally. He's mostly concerned with changing us WITHIN the circumstance! Think about what matters most... Our character, our integrity, our level of empathy, our strength. THAT'S WHAT THE FOCUS IS! Those are the everlasting qualities! Growing those things ONLY really comes in the midst of #TheStruggle. I mean, lectures and sermons and teachings are great, but you have to be tested to really show who you really are! So, as crazy as this is going to sound - lean into your struggle, be grateful for every difficult person, place or situation you are facing because its there to teach you so much more than a careless day at the spa ever could! I promise, you will come out the other side - and you will be humbled in ways you never knew you could!

xoxo CM