“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
In my experience it is not important to have the strength before begining a journey because it is in the journey that God makes us strong.
I heard about an Episcopalian church in Cedar City Utah that has a meditation labrinth. You walk along the path and as you get close to the center the path curves and takes you seemingly further away from your destination. But by having faith to continue and over the course of getting closer only to be taken further away eventually the center is reached.It got me thinking that for as meaningful as the iron rod analogy is maybe a more accurate analogy to life is the meditation labrinth. Because it's in the twists and turns of life that we grow personally and spiritually.
We more often than not get close to our goals before getting further away but eventually reaching the goal.
But what I think can cripple us most personally and spiritually is what has been called "destination addiction."
It refers to the way we think that it's the next job or the next city or the next romantic partner that will finally satisfy us but until we find happiness where we are happiness will never be where we are.
It is also true I think, that that state of mind means that as we reach a goal the satisfaction is short lived and we look to the next thing to satisfy us.
It results in a busy but shallow life.
When I met my wife I was initially intimidated by the responsibility of being a husband and stepdad. I broke up with her twice over these fears. I had no idea that we would be faced with hardship, more stress than I had ever experienced and more drama from certain family members.
I was afraid I couldn't live up to what life would bring us as a couple and to me as husband and stepdad. But it was in the journey of my life with my wife and kids that I became strong enough to care for my wife and step kids.
It was in the twists and turns of life that brought me closer to where I needed to be, it helped me develop the strength and skill needed to be the husband and stepdad I needed to be.
But by no means is this the end of my journey, it may be only one leg of it but it never ends. We are eternal beings and our journey will be infinite. Whether our journeys are positive or negative is largely up to us.
Life is not a point a to point b concept. Life is very much about the twists and turns and it is by those distractions that we become as strong as we need to be. It is where we develop the skills we need and learn what it is we need to know.