October 25, 2025- Dis-ease

You do not know what life means when all the difficulties are removed.

~Jane Addams

We wish for good health – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If we could just constantly maintain those four things, we would be free to live a life of complete joy and happiness, right?

Is a life filled with constant joy and happiness the one we really want or need? Do we need to be 100% healthy at all times?

The full expanse of human experience will require the full spectrum of human emotion. If we refuse to ever fully experience sorrow, pain, and disappointment, we will not be able to feel authentic joy, pleasure, and fulfillment. Joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin, and to deny either side is to deny the coin altogether.

Additionally, if we are fully healthy all the time, we would have a life of ease, but sometimes growth requires a little bit of dis-ease. We cannot build resilience without some struggle. We cannot build discipline without some impulses.

Every struggle is an opportunity for growth. Every difficulty is a chance to rise above it. We have overcome struggles before, and we are stronger for it. Be grateful for life‘s challenges.