Life can be a real struggle. What’s important to realize is that our struggle can either be healthy and constructive, or it can be unhealthy and therefore destructive.

Perhaps we’re familiar with some religion or philosophy that tells we need to “give up the struggle.” While such a teaching may be true, we too often misunderstand this to mean we should give up, or give in. That we should become passive and not stand up for ourselves. That we should let go of our goals and our desire for fulfillment.

Such an approach takes us down a wrong road to becoming a sloth. It leads to indifference and stagnation, and even makes us beat ourselves up for wanting more from life.

Worse yet, such an attitude causes us to not improve the conditions in our life—in ourselves and in the world around us—that we have the ability to make better. And in a way, that’s downright cruel.

A healthy struggle, by contrast, doesn’t wear us out. For when we take a healthy approach to our struggles, our efforts are not futile and our energies don’t become exhausted. When we struggle in the right way, we stop fighting against ourselves…

All essays | Get a Better Boat • Living Light

We Can Heal | After the Ego • Blinded by Fear

Real. Clear. series | Holy Moly • Finding Gold • Bible Me This • The Pull • Pearls • Gems • Bones • Nutshells

Self. Care. series | Spilling the Script • Healing the Hurt • Doing the Work

More | Walker • Word for Word • Living Light • Spiritual Laws • Keys