"A lot of people struggle …"
“A lot of people struggle …” That’s what my son, Will, told a reporter last week while being interviewed at Baylor University. Will is a junior at Baylor. He works at the student center’s rock wall to help with expenses. “The Rock” stands fify two feet tall and is the largest freestanding rock wall in the state of Texas. It draws a lot of attention. On this particular morning, it garnered the attention of Erin Quinn, a reporter for the Waco Tribune. Young and fit, it seemed she would have no problem getting up that monsterous wall. She brought a camera man along to catch footage of her adventure as she attempted not once, not twice but three times to scale the wall. Tired and exhausted, she asked Will, “Am I the only one who makes a fool out of themselves?” To which he replied, “No, no … a lot of people struggle.”
Honestly, when you look at the rock wall, it doesn’t seem too imposing. As a matter of fact, it looks kinda fun. Sure it’s straight up but lots of college kids do it with ease. That wasn’t the case for Erin. And I have to tell you at the end of the piece when she faced the camera to talk about the experience, I felt kinda bad for her. She said, “Not a great day … I hate that rock wall … I was not able to do it.”
There are other walls even more imposing than that fifty two foot wall at Baylor. Sometimes there are walls in our most important relationships – like marriage for instance. Because the truth is people struggle and couples struggle. And those kind of struggles can make people feel like giving up. Like saying, “This is a bad relationship. I hate this relationship. I am not able to do it.”
Well, today I want to follow Will’s lead and say to those who are facing what look like insurmountable walls … you aren’t alone. Marriage is hard. And many couples struggle. In fact, I have found that maintaining a healthy marriage is possibly the most difficult thing I have ever attempted. And there are times that I feel tired. And I feel foolish. And I wonder if I am able to do it. The truth is … I struggle. We struggle. Marriage is sometimes extremely difficult but it is worth the struggle.
If you are facing a monsterous relational wall in your marriage, take a breath, say a prayer and ask for help. There are people around that are farther along. They can give you encouragement. And the main thing to remember is: God can help you climb that wall and reaching the top will be worth it all.
Learn how to Pray Big for Your Marriage …