Romans 5:1-5

"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one" - Bruce Lee

That quote has stuck with me for many years, and after looking up its source for this reflection I didn't even realize it's from Bruce Lee. A "difficult" life is most definitely a relative term, and everyone has their own experience with it. I don't think I can say I've had a "difficult" life as I'm only 25 years old, but I can say that it has certainly been hard at times.

Through each hard time, I faced it as a different version of myself than I'd been before, and that version wasn't always stronger. At some points I was a quitter, other times I caved in, more so I would feel defeat and rarely would I fight. I used to have a very weak-minded perspective on these difficult events that I would go through.

As I've grown and matured, there are definitely shadows that follow me from those times, but recently, I've reinstituted Christ in my life, and I'm choosing to walk the path he has called me to. And with this decision, comes a lot of other struggles, good struggles though. Struggles that are aligning me with what God desires. Struggles that only occur through obedience to God as I choose Spirit over flesh. And through this obedience I'm starting to feel as if those shadows are being cast out by the light of Christ in my life. I'm beginning to feel the Lord's might meeting me in the challenges I face.

Jesus was the missing component for all of those versions of myself. For through Christ my strength is found, the strength to fight, not to cave. To God be the glory.