The Benefits of Struggle

Finished with metamorphosis, a butterfly will struggle to push its way out of its dry, crusted cocoon.  The insect needs this effort to attain its final, beautiful form and fly away.  Outside efforts of assistance result in a misshapen insect and death.  For evolutionists, this is a tragedy of failure to pass on genetic material.  For God, it’s a tragedy of failure to add beauty to Creation.

So it is with humanity.  As much as we complain over the struggles of Life, we need the efforts in order to become the well-formed, beautiful creatures God intended.  Striving to overcome the troubles that confront us stretches the limits of our abilities.  We learn just what we can do when we succeed.

Marine recruits are put through a very rough regimen of basic training.  Successful accomplishment not only makes them tough – able to accomplish more than ordinary men and women – it’s what makes them the Proud.  During Navy SEAL training, Hell Week is designed to weed out quitters.  Trainees are actively encouraged to ring the bell, signaling their desire to drop out.  Only those who refuse to give up are allowed to join those elite combat teams.

God allows struggles to “force us to our knees” where He is waiting to give comfort and help.  As the song, Through It All, by Andra’e Crouch says,

For if I'd never had a problem,

I wouldn't know God could solve them,

I'd never know what faith in God could do.

Struggling with problems releases the creativity needed to overcome them.  This results in varieties of solutions and life choices.

Special bonding also takes places among people who share common struggles.  Working alongside others to deal with disasters or just to find solutions to problems in common means shared efforts and mutual caring.  Building combat teams, as well as individual warriors, has long been a military principle.  Business is working to use the same principles.

Finally, the struggle to earn creates within people a greater appreciation for what they receive.  Those who receive because of entitlement – whether from rich fathers or from government programs – don’t value the benefits as much as what they struggle to earn.  I’m sure Peter Buffet values his own musical accomplishments more than the billions to be inherited from his father. 

Isaac Asimov’s Philosopher Robot

What an amazing piece of literature is Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel, The Caves of Steel!  Copyrighted in 1953, (before I was born!), the story tells how Plainclothesman Elijah Baley was assigned to partner with Robot Daneel Olivaw to find the murderer of an important Spacer.  Daneel had been enhanced with a strong motivation for justice in addition to the fundamental Three Laws of Robotics.  (See I, Robot.)  He defined justice as obedience to all laws.

Elijah argued that among humans, mercy was of higher value than strict justice.  As an example, he told Daneel the Biblical story of the woman caught in adultery.  Elijah related how Jesus convinced her accusers of their own guilt then told the woman, “Go, and sin no more.”

At the end of the novel after Elijah revealed the identity of the culprit, the detective did not arrest that unworthy.  It was more important to the Spacers that the culprit work for the movement to send Earth people out to colonize more worlds in Space than be punished. 

Daneel then made a profound philosophical statement.  He turned to the culprit and said, “…the destruction of what should not be, that is, the destruction of what you people call evil, is less just and desirable than the conversion of this evil into what you call good.”

Then the robot said to the human, “Go, and sin no more!”

How like God’s desire for those He has created! 

Starting the Me-and-Spot Blog

The time has come, I have decided, to create my own blog and get some of my writing out into the world. My main goal as a writer is to proclaim the truth of God’s love and mighty deeds as I understand them. I believe His greatest project was to send His Son to live a perfect life, carry the sins of all humanity to the Cross, and bridge the gulf between us and Him.

I have a rather iconoclastic view of organized religion and the Church. I also prefer to speak truth – however impolitely. I'm sorry if this offends. Jeremiah and Elijah were also offensive to those who wouldn't listen to God's words through them.

Spot is the young male cat who loves to rub his head against my forearm as I try to type. I've decided to employ him as a straight man of sorts or maybe as a contrary commentator on things I've written.