As any college-aged individual about their life and they’ll be sure to tell you stories of good times and complain to you about the bad times. They’ll tell you about that one time on a Saturday night in Boston, or that one time that they barely passed that accounting final, but dig deeper and you’ll find larger struggles in a person’s life than just what they do during the day.

We live in an age of complexity. It’s easy for us to get wrapped up in the things that we create to make us more worried. From finding a job to paying bills, to love and loss; all these things take a toll on us emotionally and spiritually.

As inherently flawed individuals, we succumb to our darker nature at times and turn to the empty promises and shortcuts in life; such as alcohol, drugs, one night stands and gambling to name a few. Why do we do this? It is because we are forever in search of happiness; even if it means finding a temporary state of pleasure. Every man and woman is in search of happiness and satisfaction in life. We strive to be happy with ourselves, happy with the things we do and happy with other aspects of life. I hear it all the time amongst my friends, especially after a break up with someone or losing a job: “Well, you have to do what makes you happy.” With that being said, yes, we should be in pursuit of things and surround ourselves with people that make us happy. However, by looking for solely happiness in every aspect of life is not something that is realistic.

That’s where struggle comes in. Everyone faces it. If we think that by finding happiness that’ll avoid the struggles in life, we paint a false perception in our minds about the true status of life. Our struggles that we find on a day-to-day basis is as a part of us as waking up in the morning and going to sleep at night; they are eternal. We were put on this earth to deal with our internal struggles and to eventually triumph over him. That is why, if you are a follower of Christianity, God delivered his only son to teach us and eventually die for our sins and for us. The burden that Jesus faced ahead of him and that he eventually shouldered should be living proof to all of us that pain, loneliness and division within us is temporary, so long as we stay resolute with our faith and do the best we can to steer away from empty temptations.

I’ve struggled with my faith many times in life; even day to day. I’ve also struggled with bearing the sense of feeling lost in the midst of a world of chaos and noise and to keep myself standing firm on my own two feet when times seem bleak. But something always turns it around, whether it be a friend or loved one cheering you up and reaching out, or you make a positive change in your life or someone else’s.

There are times in an individual’s life, like my own when a person thinks that they are worthless, or life for them has lost its meaning. The truth can’t be farther away from that statement. We were all created for a purpose. God gave us life as a gift to cherish and to enjoy. Isn’t that a beautiful thing? We are Beloved by our creator. We are innately special and unique and one of a kind. We may shoulder different burdens but they are all similar to the ones we all share. That is why we must reach out to those in need or even just to be there for someone.

I leave this piece with a passage:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13