Let me be the first to admit that sometimes life can be overwhelming. I know of the pain and the struggle. Of course we know it’s not supposed to be easy, but sometimes it’s difficult not to wonder if it’s supposed to be this hard. Sometimes nothing seems to come out quite right or go your way, yet you still have to find a way to keep going.
If you’re reading this, you’ve done that at least a few times over. You found your way out of the darkest places you’ve been, with no idea how you’d make it out, but somehow you did. And you’ll do it again.
Generally, life has no shortage of challenges, things that everyone can be susceptible to. Death of a loved one, debilitating poverty, crippling mental or physical illness, devastating accidents, painful divorce, and the list could go on forever. No one is lucky enough to never find themselves lying awake in the middle of the night in a place darker than the room they are lying in.
Military life offers its own extenuating circumstances that guarantee some will find themselves on their knees praying to whatever they believe in, and likely, more often than on the civilian side. Agonizing isolation due to constantly moving, heartbreaking separation from your spouse, frequent sad goodbyes to people and places that become home, and torturous uncertainty about too many things to name.
Take a step back when tragedy strikes, your pockets are full of nothing, you’ve had a few too many bad days in a row, and you find yourself feeling like for every door you open, two have been slammed in your face. You’re looking too closely. This is just where you are right now. Take a good look around. You are not here for nothing; you have had better days, and you have better days coming.
The uphill battle doesn’t end until we let it, and we’re all doing the best we can to climb it. When it feels like you’re always up against the odds, remember these are the things that mold you. These are the things that guide you. As long as you don’t let them defeat you, they will only make you that much stronger.
Though they may be invisible, you’ll always have the things you need to survive. Faith, love, joy and happiness. These are the greatest things that you’ll ever know. You can’t touch them or see them, and sometimes, you can’t always feel them. But I assure you, they are always there.
Look to your faith, hold high and have hope. Even when your strength is gone, as long as you have faith, you will never be weak. You feel broken and exhausted because you are fighting for what’s next. You are fighting to move mountains to reach your final destination, and we can only hope that stays far away. If it were easy, or if we reached our destination too fast, what would it be worth? Know what you’re worth. Know that you will continue to move mountains and that your effort will bring you everything you deserve.
It’s okay to need a little help. It’s okay to break down and cry. It’s okay to scream and let it all out. The most important thing to remember is that you cannot give up. Even when it feels like the hardest thing you’ll ever do, remember, you just have to have faith. The sun will shine again, and where the sadness is, you’ll find happiness instead. At the end of this pain, you will remain.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Faith Issue” April 2025 e-edition here.
