By Robert J. Tamasy

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience a life of ease? An idyllic existence devoid of struggle, adversity or pain? How about being able to meet deadlines without stress or pressure? Not having to be concerned about reaching sales quotas? Always having harmonious relationships with all coworkers and employees? Good luck trying to find a place like that where there are no struggles!

Actually, it would not be good luck to discover how to live without struggling at times. Because struggle is an essential ingredient in the recipe for a successful, rewarding life – career, marriage, and anything else we find worth pursuing. Think of some of the many examples we find all around us:

• The butterfly that must struggle to escape its formative cocoon. It must push and strain to develop the strength it needs to get out of the cocoon it built as a caterpillar. Remove the butterfly from its cocoon too early and it dies.
• The outstanding athlete we cheer for his or her accomplishments. We do not see the countless hours of practice, training and preparation, the straining to lift weights to become stronger.
• The virtuoso musician who flawlessly performs beautiful compositions. We cannot imagine all the work, the endless and agonizing repetitions required to reach that level of performance.

We could think of many other examples, but the reality is simple: Without struggle, life is impossible. As leadership consultant team builder Brian Kight has stated, “Struggle isn’t just a necessary path, it’s the best path. Struggle isn’t just a good thing; it’s a great thing. Not everyone is willing to struggle for what they want most. They allow struggle to defeat them. But the struggle defines the reward. There are no rewards worth having without struggle to achieve them.”

In reading the Scriptures we see how God uses struggle as an important tool for transforming us into the people He intends for us to become. Here are some of the reasons:

Struggle teaches dependence. When things are accomplished easily it is easy to trust in our self-sufficiency. When we struggle, we recognize our limitations and how much we need the Lord. As Jesus taught His followers, “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In a similar way, the apostle Paul recognized, “I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

Struggle teaches humility. It has been said that we learn more from failure than we do from success, because when we fail it is usually easy to understand why. Factors involved in success are often much harder to identify. The apostle Paul gained much acclaim as a teacher, but God allowed pain and struggle in his life to keep him properly focused. “To keep me from becoming conceited…there was given me a thorn in the flesh…. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

Struggle begets strength. Working through challenges and adversity strengthens us in many ways – our character, our values and convictions, our determination to persevere, and our faith. That is why Paul could declare, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses…in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

© 2025. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.

Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. How would you define or describe how you would envision having a life of ease? Do you think such an existence is attainable – and even if so, would you really want to have a life like that? Explain your answer.
2. Think of times in your life when you have benefited from struggles. How do you think your life would be different if you had not gone through those times of challenge?
3. Do you agree with the statement that struggle is an essential ingredient in the recipe for a successful, rewarding life? Why or why not?
4. If you are a person of faith in Jesus Christ, what role do you think struggle has played in how your faith has developed? Compare where your faith was before you went through the struggle with where you see yourself now in your faith journey.

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Matthew 26:36-44; Romans 5:1-5; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; James 1:2-4,12; 1 Peter 1:6-7

Challenge for This Week

This week, try to schedule some time to meet with a mentor, a trusted advisor, or some close friends and share struggles that you are currently facing. Talk not only about the struggles and challenges themselves, but also how you think God might be using them in your life – or in the lives of people around you.