Sometimes we just have to hang in there.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when I am involved in hard and difficult situations or relationships, and my instinct is to just bail out. “It’s too hard. It’s too stressful. It’s too much!” We get fed up, often for good reasons, and so we make the decision to bail out.
That desire to leave a tough spot can also be clouded by the notion that there is something better, or easier somewhere else. This is “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” mentality. Or as another one of my friends calls it, the “chasing shining things syndrome.”
But what if life wasn’t always meant to be easy? What if sometimes, facing and embracing the difficult was actually the best choice?
I actually think there can be something powerful that happens when we make the decision to stay, even if it's hard or tough. Hanging in there has the ability to create a sense of perseverance within us, which can often lead to powerful moments of growth and development we never would have realized had we not stuck it out. It’s also possible that staying communicates a powerful message to the others who may be involved that we aren’t just committed to the situation, but more importantly, we are committed to them!
It is important to acknowledge there are times when leaving is the best choice (abuse, toxicity, manipulation, etc.), but those times are farther apart and less frequent than I think we realize. Most of the time, our desire to leave is simply rooted in wanting to make our lives more comfortable. Somehow, we think we deserve everything to come easy. The problem is, most of the really powerful and important seasons of growth and development in my life happened when I made the choice to hang in there and persevere.
In what areas of life are you wrestling with staying or going? What factors are you considering that are causing you to lean one way or the other? What might be the benefits of hanging in there and persevering, rather than taking the easy route out?
Sometimes the best choice we can make is to just hang in there!
Be Well,
Stephen
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