The Privilege of Being Able to Strive

Introduction:

Welcome my friend,

Last week for the first time in three years we were unable to have this conversation on a weekend like this because I was somewhere in the hospital battling for my life.

Something I had eaten severely disrupted my gut health and knocked me out for roughly four days.

Honestly, it was a tough ordeal, and I’m deeply thankful to be back here: to this job I love and to enjoy this very privilege of being the custodian of these words.

If anything, being forced to step away has shifted my perspective in meaningful ways giving me the space to reflect and look inward.

First, it has brought a quiet ease to my heart because I've witnessed firsthand that the world keeps moving even when I’m not part of it.

This realization creates room for rest, for approaching life with gentleness and patience instead of treating every day like an urgent deadline.

Secondly, it reminded me more powerfully than ever, how much we need genuine people around us, because when we may no longer have the strength to pull through, their support and presence may be all that gets us over the line.

Yet, more than anything else, I came to see something clearly: that the simple ability to wake up each day and strive for better tomorrows, while grumbling about our countless problems, is a luxury available only to those who are healthy.

The truth is, when you’re lying in a hospital bed, everything narrows down to one single problem as nothing else matters except getting well again.

It’s precisely in these moments that we truly grasp what a gift it is to still have the capacity to strive, and to still have enough bandwidth to worry about all our other troubles.

The thing is, when all our problems are reduced to just that one problem of recovering our health, it's not an ideal place to be.

Discussion:

While taking my forced break, I gained a deeper appreciation for the gift of being able to show up every day and do this work over the past few years.

I came to see, more clearly than ever, just how much real strength and quiet wisdom it actually requires to keep something like this going, none of which I possess in myself the capacity to be the source of.

This realization puts most of my fears to rest.

So going forward, rather than worry or fret about what could go wrong, I choose to appreciate the struggles and to accept them with a smile on my face.

After all, they are simply part of the package that comes with navigating and figuring out this life.

Indeed, this is nearly true for most of us too.

Each of us carries our own set of challenges, the ones that weigh on our hearts, or even keep us up at night.

Some revolve around work, others around relationships, family, or other such things.

Yet when we look closely, these difficulties tend to fall into one of two broad categories: the challenges that have come as part of the responsibilities of our position and the ones that have come as tests to build our character and prepare us for greater things ahead.

Truth is, each one of these kinds of problems are privileges that have come with where we find ourselves or may yet find ourselves, so rather than complain, we can brace up for the challenge.

When we face our difficulties with a smile instead of a frown, something shifts: our minds become clearer, our perspective sharper, and surprisingly, better solutions begin to appear.

Such is the quiet power of choosing gratitude over grumbling, even in the middle of the struggle.

 ■ Recognizing Our Efforts 

We don’t need to wait until we’re completely burned out or pushed aside before we finally allow ourselves some rest.

So many of us insist on staying deeply involved, closely monitoring every detail, because we’re convinced that without our constant oversight everything will fall apart

However, the truth we often overlook is this: we are not as irreplaceable as we think.

Life and work continue, people adapt, someone else rises to the occasion, and things somehow get done, even if differently.

Very often, others hold back and don’t stretch themselves precisely because they know there's someone ever ready to step in for them.

When we choose to step back, we create space for others to grow, to experiment, to make mistakes and improve, to become more capable themselves.

Also, we must remember to extend grace to ourselves.

We should pause to recognize and value the small, steady progress we are actually making.

Truth is, even on the hard days when we feel depleted, every tiny step taken in the right direction still moves us closer to where we want to be, far better than standing still.

So instead of criticizing ourselves for not doing enough, we can choose to honor the simple but powerful fact that we showed up again today.

In the end, that consistency is what truly matters.

■ Making The Most Of Our Work 

While I was in the hospital, I noticed that certain staff members had a natural gift for caregiving that set them apart from the rest.

It might have come from years of experience, or perhaps they simply possessed the right temperament and personality for the role.

Whatever the reason, the way they carried out their duties was noticeably different.

Although everyone performed their job professionally, these individuals seemed to go beyond the required duties almost instinctively, because they poured their whole heart into their work.

This is something that we can emulate ourselves.

As believers, God has given us a clear instruction: to carry out our work with diligence and excellence, as though we are doing it directly for Him.

This is a serious charge.

Wherever we are placed, we are called to do our work well, serving as faithful ambassadors of God in that place.

This begins with truly valuing the work we do, recognizing that no role is too small or unimportant, and that every position contributes meaningfully to the greater whole.

During my time in the hospital, I saw how doctors, nurses, cleaners, and security personnel all played essential parts in caring for the patients.

Each role mattered, and together they made the healing environment possible.

Summary:

I’m feeling a bit more excited to be here today, because I now understand even more deeply what a true privilege it is.

When life becomes overwhelmingly difficult, living is reduced to mere survival, where the single most important thing is simply making it through another day.

Which is exactly why, now that we have the chance, we should live fully and vibrantly, living in a way that truly aligns with and stirs our soul.

Thank you for sharing my experience.

If even one person has learned or gained something from it, then it somehow brings meaning and purpose to everything I had to go through.

Master Apprentice.

www.x.com/truekingmaker