Life is difficult. (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled)
I guess if I knew this from the start, I might not have been caught by surprise. The truth is I wasn't warned of this. My protected childhood and upbringing didn't help paint a realistic picture of life. Life is tough. It is unfair. You don't always get what you want, the way you want it. Giving love does not promise that the love will be returned. Your good deeds are not always reciprocated. There are contradicting proverbs for every situation and I guess that this world is far from the perfect world the fairy tales tried to made me believe it to be. Then why do we still propogate such tales? Only to raise people's hopes and set them up for disappointment. Life is trying and many times I feel cheated. I am not alone. The realisation of this truth dawned upon me eventually. Better late than never, I suppose.
I know this probably sounds pathetic and sad. However the sooner I wake up to this reality and face life at its terms, the better. The earlier the bubble bursts, the less it hits me when things don't work out as I expect. I have lots of expectations. My life is full of shoulds and oughts. They are the yardstick by which I measure life... measure how others behave and how I match up to those expectations. If I were to list them down, I'd be tired just looking at them. I'm slowly learning to let go of them. Take life as it comes. Tackle it at its terms. When love is unrequited, I tell myself, 'It's ok, that's life. Move on.' There are many challenges I need to face and overcome in my life. Life offer no rewards to quitters. Since it's not so much about who's side He is on, it's for me to ensure I am on His side. With Him, there's nothing I need to fear.
I learned that while things can be tough going at times, there are many times I am on the receiving end of Grace. I don't always get what I deserve and that includes the negative. God often spares me from much pain, which I deserve and gives me unearned blessings.
I guess if I knew this from the start, I might not have been caught by surprise. The truth is I wasn't warned of this. My protected childhood and upbringing didn't help paint a realistic picture of life. Life is tough. It is unfair. You don't always get what you want, the way you want it. Giving love does not promise that the love will be returned. Your good deeds are not always reciprocated. There are contradicting proverbs for every situation and I guess that this world is far from the perfect world the fairy tales tried to made me believe it to be. Then why do we still propogate such tales? Only to raise people's hopes and set them up for disappointment. Life is trying and many times I feel cheated. I am not alone. The realisation of this truth dawned upon me eventually. Better late than never, I suppose.
I know this probably sounds pathetic and sad. However the sooner I wake up to this reality and face life at its terms, the better. The earlier the bubble bursts, the less it hits me when things don't work out as I expect. I have lots of expectations. My life is full of shoulds and oughts. They are the yardstick by which I measure life... measure how others behave and how I match up to those expectations. If I were to list them down, I'd be tired just looking at them. I'm slowly learning to let go of them. Take life as it comes. Tackle it at its terms. When love is unrequited, I tell myself, 'It's ok, that's life. Move on.' There are many challenges I need to face and overcome in my life. Life offer no rewards to quitters. Since it's not so much about who's side He is on, it's for me to ensure I am on His side. With Him, there's nothing I need to fear.
I learned that while things can be tough going at times, there are many times I am on the receiving end of Grace. I don't always get what I deserve and that includes the negative. God often spares me from much pain, which I deserve and gives me unearned blessings.
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