Struggling and Succeeding vs Settling and Suffering

Many times over the last several yeas I have taught some distinctions I see between struggling and suffering.

I believe struggling is an inevitable part of our lives and it is good for us.  It makes us stronger, better and
wiser if we embrace it.  Like the chick struggles to get out of the egg and the butterfly struggles to get out
of the cacoon, you and I do indeed struggle to become the people we were created to be.  Suffering, on the
other hand, is often optional.  Very often suffering is a result of our own arrogance or ignorance.  Most of you
have probably heard the two scriptures..... pride comes before a fall, and people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.
Much of the sufering that people create in their lives can be greatly diminished or even eliminated if they would just
humble themselves and educate themselves.

After a recent conversation that my wife and I had with another successful couple that are much more
experienced than we are, I began seeing more clearly the relationship between struggling and succeeding and settling
and suffering.  I think you can accurately say that many times struggling leads to succeeding and settling leads to suffering.
During the course of our converstation, the husband made this statement about some of their accomplishments, he said...
We could have settled but it was worth it.  Meaning it was a struggle to succeed, it was hard at times to succeed, but they
were glad they had decided to go for it and didn't have any regrets for some of the sacrifices they had made.  Sacrifice could
be one of the S's but it,s a part of Struggling.  The 5th S is surrender.  Surrender to the struggle. 

Zig Ziglar wrote a book a couple years ago called Embrace the Struggle, I recommend it.  Surrendering and embracing
are very similar on the path of success.  You must learn to embrace the hard times and surrender to the struggling in order
to achieve the success you desire.  If you resist struggling and try to avoid the tough times you will not grow and get stronger
and succeed, you will get weaker and worse which leads to suffering.

So choose to surrender to the lessons life is trying to teach you through tough times and succeed.  The power to prosper is the power of choice.
You can make a choice to create success or you can make a choice to settle for less.  Don't settle!  Choose to succeed.

Faith, Hope and Love,

Keith Cameron Smith