A favorite analogy of mine is about a child teething. Kind of goofy but it works.
It’s the third week of being in Paris, France. And the opportunity for growth is abundant. Growth in character, patience, vulnerability. The list goes on.
A lot of the time it’s hard to describe what certain growth in an area looks like. And this is why I thought of the analogy of a child teething.
When a baby is teething it’s something everyone gets to experience. Their teeth start pushing past nerves causing a huge amount of discomfort. With the pain come tears, and aw man, can a baby cry when they are teething! And not only does the baby experience discomfort but the parents lose sleep. And now you have cranky, sleep deprived parents with a baby that cries all the time. Everyone’s nerves are frazzled for a while. The reality is that the baby has to experience that pain for a short time period. Nothing speeds it up. Occasionally, small teething toys help or numbing medicine. But in the end, it’s a necessary pain that allows for the baby to (eventually) enjoy life fuller. It’s a season.
A favorite quote of mine comes from students going through the Navy SEALS training program, BUD/S. A quote I tell myself when life causes me to curl up in the fetal position.
“Nothing lasts forever” or “embrace the suck” (referring to the extreme physical pain and mental endurance of becoming a Navy SEAL).
And really, nothing does last forever. I can make a huge bet that you’re not teething anymore. That you have probably not been loading the same dishes your mom told you to load while growing up. Everything comes to an end no matter how painful, uncomfortable, or awful the season.
To go back to the teething analogy, imagine they never went through the process of teething. To enjoy certain foods the parents will have to pay for teeth implants. That’s money and possible stress. The child will have to go through surgery. But to endure a season of discomfort, produces the reward of being equipped to enjoy a feast that doesn’t need blending in the blender first.
In order to be where you want in the future, it is necessary to embrace discomfort for a season while getting there.
Yes, it sucks, but it’s absolutely important for growth!
What if I offered you $100,000? And all you’d have to do is run fifty miles right after you finish reading this blog? The money would be waiting for you at the finish line? Would you do it?
Or would it be easier if I offered you $100,000 with the stipulation that you couldn’t work for the next ten years and you’d need to budget to make it last the whole time? Easier up front? Absolutely! Better for the long run, definitely not.
What the 50 mile run does is bring you to what I like to call the fire barrel. Fancy words, right? Smile.
In that fire you are tested physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You are brought to a place where growth can happen. Usually crawling and clawing to the end. At least for me. Because without the pain, like teething, you will never experience what the rewards at the end bring. But if you decide to push through, to not quit, and persevere, you come out of the fire better than you started.
My encouragement to you is, if you are going through any type of discomfort… your job really sucks right now… a relationship is going the opposite direction you thought it would… money seems to only drip into your life… you can’t sleep because of anxiety or depression… Really anything that you would rather not have happen to you at the moment, embrace it and surround yourself with a community of grace and love. Press into Jesus and rest in his peace. It’s easier said than done, you might think.
Well, I can say from personal experience that it’s way better to embrace the suck than to quit. I had two surgeries on both of my shoulders about two years ago. Maybe one of the most miserable times of my life. At times, I would have rather died and been in heaven then to be “disabled.” Honestly, I tapped out during that time and focused on woe is me. I gave no effort to grow myself mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. And at the end of the two years of pathetic complaining I was drained and came out of the fire resembling a blob that gets thrown away. I did not let the fire refine who I was. And I look back with regret where I could have pressed into Jesus and grown in character. So, I’m learning now what I could have learned two years ago.
I love you and God loves you even more. He wants to see you push through the pain because what he has at the end is even bigger than what you have in your comfort.
On a side note I have a big ask. I am $2,100 from my next goal of $13,000 by September 21st. If you feel led to donate, it would be a huge blessing. (My faith is definitely being refined through a “teething” experience. Perhaps you’ve experienced a similar season?) 😉 The donate tab is at the top of this page with a blue bar showing my progress.
My final thoughts.
I promise you will eventually experience discomfort in your life. Come out of the fire better than when you went in.
