Life is a blessing

In preparation for a book club discussion, I was reading a book review on Goodreads, and the reviewer made this side comment that stuck with me. She said, “I’ve always been a person who views life as a blessing despite its challenges rather than life being a challenge despite its blessings.”

The longer I pondered the difference between those two perspectives, the more profound the statement seemed. How I speak about my circumstances determines my mindset and, therefore, the energy I bring to each day.

Let’s start with the second of those two approaches: life is a challenge despite its blessings. Just saying it feels weighty. Immediately, I think about all that’s uncertain and hard. I feel dread and exhaustion, imagining what other shoe will drop next. I feel hesitant to embrace joy or set goals for myself because we’re all so vulnerable to loss, setbacks, and disappointment. In my feeble mind, the phrase "Life is a challenge” means tense up and brace yourself for the worst.  

Now, let’s sit with that first approach: life is a blessing despite its challenges. This statement feels lighter, bringing to mind family and friends who love me, the miracle of the breath in my lungs, death being conquered by Christ's resurrection, and the freedom I have to create, evolve, connect, repent and start over (again and again and again). Rooted in an eternal perspective, in this scenario, the challenges, though difficult, feel purposeful, salvific, and ultimately beneficial rather than random and destructive. In my feeble mind, viewing life as a blessing evokes gratitude, which becomes a form of prayer that points me back to God’s mercy and faithfulness, thereby conjuring up the courage to live and love boldly while patiently enduring afflictions I can’t yet understand. 

I have to regularly remind myself that peace is not the absence of struggle but faith, courage, and growth amid my ever-present trials and temptations.