Suffering And Joy: Where To Find Inspiration

I came across an interesting perspective on suffering. Suffering is a joy. I had to stop upon hearing this concept. When a person suffers, it is a time to rejoice in the opportunity to strengthen our faith, practice a deeper revelry of worship, and find reasons to be grateful. When we suffer an inner strength never known, it has a chance to blossom. In times of suffering a man can find the will to endure, overcome, contend, conquer, find justice, all of which are admirable, but of more interest and perhaps greater value is the reason to forgive, turn the other cheek, love thy neighbor more than yourself, and find the reason to serve a higher calling. Oh, I know, all very high ideals and certainly worthy accomplishments when we find the will, and none need the prompting of suffering to practice. Fair enough!

"Life has flavor when people have courage. Strange how it was always the spoiled who weakened and cried first, and it was the injured, the maimed, the blind, and the poor who fought on alone," wrote Louis L'Amour in 'Sitka,' and more of his advice, "A man should not have to walk the earth alone. A man should have a mate, to share his luck and his strength, but his sorrow as well." Isn't it interesting where you can find inspiration in the strangest of places? The novel, Sitka, is about a mountain man turned seaman who explores the wild frontier of Alaska in the era before it became a United States territory. The story is fiction, but the character traits are real enough to inspire this prisoner. I think this novel illustrates the joy of the struggle perfectly. The main character overcomes impossible odds with perseverance, grit, and by lifting himself up by the bootstraps time and again.

"Life has flavor..." says volumes about a positive attitude and rekindles my outlook on life and my method of coping with the hiccups along the way to building a 'Gratefully List' into living a life that bears fruit. The greatest struggle and my everlasting joy is marriage. I love the experience! It is worth every step along the way. I have been wondering how a woman can be proud of a man in prison, and it is a secret I will keep wrapped safely in the vows I promised to honor when I wed. I can say with no reservation that a proud woman wants to be part of the grand adventure that we've made our lives. It's not a man's adventure, and it's not a woman's adventure either; when two become one, we share the adventure no matter who begins. I believe a man has an obligation to lead his household, and the question is never far from my mind, "How?"

One of my favorite motivational writers, John Eldredge, wrote a few words worth repeating, "Some men are willing to go in once, twice, even three times, but a warrior is in this for good." The adventure is worth the effort, and the best approach is never to plan an exit...it's worth staying in the fight! A man can do nearly anything on this earth, or at least this is how I feel, knowing the girl he loves is proud to be with him. Is this the joy from the suffering? Can it mean I'm a step closer to God? Is prison the road I needed to reset my joy?