The Struggle Is Real ... and Good

The story line that we've bought about life — the one that says if it's not easy, it's not good — is a lie.

The Struggle Is Real, chapter 2, page 35

Struggles are not fun. They are not glamorous. They are not easy. But that doesn't make them bad. From cover to cover, the Bible is open about our raw reality in the struggle. Scripture is filled with stories about the beautiful results created from the struggle; the intangible and eternal things learned in the struggle; and the people we can become through the struggle. Let's look together at what our struggles teach us about life, about choices, and about the surprising role of wisdom in all of it.

Video Notes

Wisdom provides clarity in a confusing world.

Fearing God is not about punishment; it's about love.

We have a choice to make about the story we believe.

Liz's Story

"I had to surrender all of my fears and all of my worries to God's best for me. And it wasn't until I did ... that things really changed for me. The more I leaned into God and trusted Him for every aspect of my life, the more joy I felt."

Reflection

1. On your own or with your group, reflect on one thing from Liz's story or Nicole's teaching that you needed to hear today.

2. What choices did Liz make in difficult times that changed her perspective? As you consider difficult situations or relationships in your life, where would you most like to adopt a new outlook or attitude?

3. Think of the challenges you faced today. Using the graph below, mark how likely you are to invite God into those struggles.

4. I believe there are times when any of us might answer "not at all likely" to the idea of inviting God into our struggles. Circle which of the following factors might keep you from inviting God in:

• My struggles feel too petty to pray about.

• I'm too preoccupied or busy to stop and ask God into them.

• I don't know how to pray about these things.

• I used to pray about these things but didn't feel like I got any answers from God.

• Other:

In the Word

Let's look closely at three Bible passages that provide the foundation for understanding why God's wisdom is so important for our lives.

1. Turn to Proverbs 3:13-18. This section uses vivid imagery to describe the role of wisdom in our lives.

Record one or two phrases from the passage that stand out to you:

2. Now turn to Proverbs 4:5-7 and 20-23. Notice the urgent tone in this chapter. What does the author say are the results of having wisdom? What might that look like in today's world?

3. The New Testament book of James was written by the brother of Jesus. In this letter, James gives instruction for living with wisdom — by understanding the truth of our lives in Christ and then acting on it. Faith is not meant to be an abstract concept in our minds. It's a true, living reality that should play out in our daily lives.

Read James 3:13-18. Write a list of the characteristics of wisdom:

Application

How would you explain what you've learned about wisdom and how to apply it to your own life? Here's a prompt to get you started:

Wisdom is ____________, and it matters for my life because ____________.

During this week's Daily Study, we'll continue to lay the foundation for understanding the power and relevancy of wisdom for our lives. We'll then spend the next few weeks understanding how wisdom works to redefine our relationship with God and with others, which enables us to live out our days with confidence and joy.

Remember, James tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault" (James 1:5).

A prayer for you:

Father, as we begin to look more closely at how Your wisdom directs our struggles, help us to trust in Your promises and believe that they are for each of us — in the life we are living right now. Amen!

Day One

Searching for the Good Life

RECOMMENDED BIBLE READING: Proverbs 3:1-18

The first chapter in The Struggle Is Real contains a baseline questionnaire called the Good Life Inventory, which allows us to assess how fully we are living into the wholehearted life God offers. Each of the descriptions on page 8 captures how the Bible describes the "good life" — living in God's way rather than our own.

We'll look at how each of these attributes is connected to wisdom throughout our daily exercises.

Each of these ten statements represents some aspect of what it means to be fully whole in every relationship — with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world. In session 2, we'll talk about why those relationships fractured in the first place and how Christ works to redeem them in our lives. But before we seek to restore what has been broken, let's consider what it means to live as God intended for us — fully whole and fully free in our everyday living.

This week, we'll focus on the first three statements in the inventory:

+ I am totally committed to knowing the truth about myself. I am not afraid to ask others around me to help me see blind spots or trouble areas in my life.

+ I have a peaceful and nonanxious presence, both inside and out.

+ Generally I feel that my soul is untroubled and undisturbed. I have nothing to hide.

Each of these statements reflects a soul that is rigorously honest and refreshingly transparent — yet at the same time peaceful and secure. This is the outward expression of inward wisdom. Let's see what the Bible has to say about this kind of life:

Below is James 3:17-18 from three Bible translations. Read through each and circle or highlight all the attributes of a person living in God's wisdom ("the wisdom that comes from heaven"):

New International Version

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

New Living Translation

The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Amplified Bible

The wisdom from above is first pure [morally and spiritually undefiled], then peace-loving [courteous, considerate], gentle, reasonable [and willing to listen], full of compassion and good fruits. It is unwavering, without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile]. And the seed whose...