We live in a world of superficial contradictions and metaphysical paradox. Talk to anyone on the street or look at their social media sites and everything is great, fabulous, perfect, really! Nobody else on the planet struggles with anything, ever, you are all alone and just plain weird. Not so much. Rather, we walk around pretending everything is great when we are barely hanging on, can hardly hold it together. We want everyone else to think things are okay when we are secretly dying inside, anything to save face. But it is okay to fall apart, to fail, to struggle, to ask 'why me?' Why do we lie about our struggles and try to hide them, when it only increases our dismay and loneliness? Because we don't want to appear weak, vulnerable, or uncool. Our perception of how others perceive us is of far more value to us than our own well being: it is a selfish sort of martyrdom.
The good news is, we are not alone, everyone struggles with something, but few actually are bold enough to admit it, even to themselves. We need not be ashamed, isolated, or despairing, for none are perfect nor have the perfect life, despite what they post on Facebook. Struggle and sorrow are part of what it means to be human, at least in this current manifestation of reality; it is just part of life, so why not admit it and gain strength in the sharing?
But there is even more good news, nay great news! Everyone struggles, sure, but how exactly does that help, besides to give you some modicum of comfort that you are not alone and it is normal? It really doesn't, at least in a materialistic sense. With that point of view, we might as well, 'eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.' Our sorrow means nothing. Our grief is moot. Our struggles vain. So why even bother? Because there is some innate part of us that knows life is not as it should be; we were not made to live in an imperfect, fallen world. We assume there must be a 'happy ever after' and are dismayed that we have not yet found it, yet still live on in hopes that it lies round the next bend. How can we have hope in a world so devoid of meaning? Either the materialists are wrong or our deepest yearnings are.
If there were no light would we have eyes? If there was no sound would we have ears? So why then do we hope and yearn if there is nothing beyond this vale of tears? Why do we expect perfection in an imperfect world? That innate yearning in every soul hints at a world, a future that will be fulfilled. A time when 'happily ever after' comes true. This is not a pointless story, there is a plot and an Author and a happy ending. Your struggles, griefs, and fears are not in vain, they are the birth pangs of something better, something greater; they are the stumbling steps upon a path that leads to a world that is truly our home.
As the old christmas hymn puts it, "and ye beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow, look now! For glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing: oh, rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!" And as another says, "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." It isn't just a story, it is The Story, it is your story. Look a little deeper into 'the reason for the season,' and discover what life is all about; find your own happily ever after.
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