Learning To Struggle Well

Life has a way of changing the weight we carry. When we are young, we may struggle with belonging, identity, and finding our place. As we grow, the weight may become family, finances, relationships, disappointment, grief, declining health, or learning to live without people and abilities we once depended upon. The struggles change throughout a lifetime, but none of us lives long without eventually carrying something heavy.

Maybe one of the great lessons of faith is not learning how to avoid struggle, but learning how to struggle well.

That does not mean pretending everything is fine. It does not mean faithful Christians never become tired, afraid, discouraged, or overwhelmed. It means learning where to turn when what we are carrying becomes greater than our own strength.

In Isaiah 46:3–4, God reminds His people that He has carried them from their beginning and promises, “Even to your old age I am He… I will carry you.” God never promised that His people would never feel the weight of life. He promised they would not have to carry it without Him.

I believe this also says something about the Lord’s church.

We are people learning to lean on the God who carries us, while also learning to help one another along the way. Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens.” Sometimes that means praying. Sometimes it means listening. Sometimes it means showing up, providing a meal, making a phone call, or simply sitting beside someone when there are no words that can fix what hurts.

We do not replace God for one another. We remind each other where our help comes from.
This is also why every generation in the church matters. Younger Christians may have strength to offer. Older Christians have years of experience with God’s faithfulness to share. Someone entering a difficult season may need to hear from someone who has already walked through one: “I’ve been there. Keep trusting Him. God carried me too.”

Perhaps struggling well does not mean becoming strong enough that we no longer need anyone. Maybe it means learning to lean more fully on the God who carries us—and becoming the kind of people who help one another do the same.