It's been a while but let's get right down to it.
The picture above says it all. This young girl, was one of many who inspired me on YouTube with her inexplicable happiness while fighting cancer. May her soul rest in peace.
A few days ago, I was asked to speak in my school's chapel (I go to a Christian University, very predictable huh) on how I find Joy in my struggles.
At first, I was taken aback, because truthfully, I sulk a lot! If things don't go my way, even if it means that I don't get white chocolate coffee in the morning, I tend to carry that throughout the whole day.
So, when I was asked to speak, I felt inadequate.
How can I, the chronic complainer talk about how I find joy in struggles?
More importantly, even if I find joy in struggles, how do I translate that to fellow college students without giving a cliche or Sunday School speech?
Then it came to me, thanks to the Spirit of God that lives in me (I know non-Christians might roll their eyes at this point.. it's all good).
The Allegory of the Cave in Plato's Republic
Without further ado, here's the excerpt from the speech I gave:
Today, I have been asked to reflect on how I find
joy in struggles. As Christians we struggle from day to day in our faith walk
with God and even other than that, we struggle with the harsh realities of
life. Being here for almost five years, I have had the privilege of hearing
some of the saddest situations that we as college students go through.
Sometimes we struggle with balancing our academic and social lives, staying on
top of our grades, struggling with depression, anxiety, panic and body image disorders;
going through painful relationships, break ups and honestly, the list could go
on and on. So how exactly do we find joy in all of this pain? How do we stay
joyful when we know that our little brother is on a downward escalator with
cystic fibrosis, or our father gets diagnosed with brain cancer? How do we
smile amidst the hurt that some relationships bring, amidst failing our
classes, or trying desperately to be financially stable.
Joy in struggles.
As paradoxical as it sounds, I think it’s
actually possible. Let me tell you how.
Thanks to our wonderful professors here at Lee, some
or even most of us have heard something about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
Basically, Socrates portrays a picture of prisoners chained together facing a
wall. Behind them is a fire that illuminates objects and people that are
walking behind them on the wall. As a result, the prisoners are only able to
see shadows being cast on the wall. They can’t see the real objects behind
them. Socrates’s main message here is the fact that humans have a false
interpretation of reality because they are so far away from the source of
illumination. Now, one of the things I like the most about the allegory is how
many interpretations you can get from it. First, let’s imagine for a second
that the prisoners are us; the chains are the struggles we face daily while the
shadows represent our interpretations of our reality or struggles. The fire
behind us is God who illuminates the true reality as we get closer to Him while
the people and objects behind represent the true reality or permit me to say
God’s reality for us or I can even go as far as saying joy. So let’s make this
more personal.
As Christians, we get chained by our struggles but rather than
facing God we interpret our reality falsely. We face the wall and wallow in our
struggles. We can’t turn around, (or at least it’s hard to turn around).
The
first thing we need to realize at this point is that our current interpretation
of reality is an illusion. The struggle is real but our interpretation isn’t
because anything not founded in the Word of God is not God’s reality for us.
So how do I find joy in my struggles? I turn around!
When the world makes me think I don’t look good or I am not pretty, I turn
around and there I see God’s Word telling me, “Do you not know that you are the
temple of God?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). When I struggle with my classes and feel
like I have no plans for my future and I graduate in August, I turn around and
hear Him say, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”(Jeremiah 29:11) When the world
is in chaos, and my heart is constantly worried or unsettled, I turn around and
see the Word clearly, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension
will guard your heart and mind.” (Philippians 4:7) When I don’t know how I will
pay my rent or get groceries for the month, I turn around and I know that he
will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. (Philippians 4:19) When
I feel sick to my very bones, I turn around and I am reminded that “by his
stripes , I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5) And when I receive hate and anger from the
people around me, I am comforted by how wide, long and high, how deep and how
great His love for me is (Ephesians 3:18). To the person whose brother
struggles with cystic fibrosis, I know it’s a difficult thing to wait for a
cure coupled with fear of the future but we remember God’s word, that those who
wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings
like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31). To the person whose father was diagnosed of brain cancer, while
waiting on God remember that he is able to do exceedingly above all that we can
ever ask or think or imagine.
Today, I implore all of us because I know we all
struggle. Even though it seems difficult, turn around! Forget about what the
world says about you. Turn to God and in Him you will find Joy. Thank you.
Well, we probably won't meet tomorrow..
or will we?
