The Struggle is Real

     The struggle is real my friends.  Compared to some I myself started life at a significant disadvantage.  If that makes me “square”, then I square I shall be.

• I was conceived and born out of wedlock – a square this might make me.
• I was raised in a Godless family – a square this may add to me.
• I grew up in a loveless family – a larger square perhaps, but this is my testimony.

The struggle is real. 

     However, there is good news for you and me -Jesus loves you and yes, even me .  For, as Jesus testified about Himself, my testimony is true for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from nor where I am going (John 8:14). He knows!

     If we knew each others life stories, would we cover our mouths and our noses with our hands, or, would we Praise God?  Would we shake our heads and roll our eyes, or, would we strengthen our resolve to be “saltier” in the world?  Would we view a brother or a sister as they share the Word and what it means to them as a loved member of the body, or, would we view them with contempt, eye roles, and gossip? 

     For me, Jesus came to me as the Light of the world and saved me from the darkness I was in (John 8:12).  He has called all of us out of the darkness and into His light (1 Peter 2:9). And the character of Jesus comes out when we realize that what was once weak has been raised in glory (1 Cor 15:43). If this makes me square, then square I am happy to be. But the struggle is still real.

     Some have been Christians their entire lives, or at least for as long as they can remember; I myself am coming up on 10 years next month – to this, I give Him all of the Glory and Honor – Praise God!!  But, does my 10 years pale in comparison to the lifelong Christian? Is there a ranking that I am not aware of or cannot locate in the bible?  Does the lifelong Christian move along through life with no worries, no grief, no pain, no struggles?  No, for the struggle is real for all of us.

     Some Christians bury their heads in the sand – they surround themselves only with other Christians and blot out everything else that is happening in the world or even in their local communities around them. Perhaps there is an argument in scripture to support this (I am not aware of one), for look at a mans friends and the man you will see.  However, I offer the following:If a Christian is not wealthy, then who is?

1. If a Christian is not in politics, then who is?
2. If a Christian does not own a business, then who does?
3. If a Christian buries their heads in the sand, how does he/she spread the Word of God and expand His Kingdom?

Jesus loves me as well as thee.

     No matter my birth and no matter my upbringing – the Word was still in the beginning and the Word was God. No matter my past and no matter my frailties, I continue to pursue my gifts with a passion that is boiling over. If this means that I am square, then box me in. But the struggle is still real.

     For I know this, that if the hand and the foot do not follow the commands of your mind, then this is referred to as paralysis. If your mind is not following what the Spirit is placing in your heart, then this is disobedience. This I can say, I will not be a disobedient Christian that is paralyzed with fear. If this makes me square, then I am happy to wear the badge. But the struggle is still there.

     The bible says that the body is made up of several parts, such as the eye, the ear, the nose, the hand, etcetera. The body is not of one part, but of many. The bible teaches that each part is supposed to fulfill its duties for which it was designed and gifts allotted. If the whole body were an eye, how could we speak, lift, walk, or smell?  Counter to this, if the hands ignore the eye, how do the hands know what to lift or what to touch? Each part has a purpose and each part has a dependency on the other parts of the body – if we ignore just one part, then the body ceases to function as designed.  The struggle is real. If this makes me square, then so be it.

     When the struggles happen, it is Christ Himself that looks upon you and shatters your defenses. It is in that moment that you understand that you are completely known by God, that you are completely loved. I pray for these moments often for you and I. For the struggle is real my friends, and if I must be, then a square I am happy to be.