Lessons

I've learnt many lessons from my daughter.

One of the most poignant however has been the nature of human suffering.

Recently, my little one has gotten a cold. Through this process, she's been very uncomfortable, very unhappy and quite miserable, I should know, I have it too. So, I began to think of ways to spare my child the worst elements of this sickness, which then led me to thinking of ways to reduce sickness in general. Maybe there is a country out there where we'd be less likely to get sick? Maybe being in a warmer climate may help? What if we just limit contact with others during specific times of the year?

All of these passing thoughts lead me to realize an important life lesson. We cannot avoid hardship, pain, suffering, sickness. These things are necessary. If my daughter didn't ever get sick or have a cold, her immune system wouldn't develop well. Then, if she ever needed to fight off any pathogens, her body would either over-react (allergies) or not respond appropriately leading to more sickness.

God sometimes throws hardship at us. Sometimes it is light adversity but at other times, life can get very difficult. These experiences are meant to strengthen us. Yes, it is often possible to run away from adversity. At times, we have the option of hiding or avoiding difficulties. What is the outcome? We don't grow, we don't develop.

Facing our difficulties, realizing these challenges are there for a purpose gives us meaning. This may be us imposing our own beliefs on the world, but giving meaning to experience is such a human thing to do.

Thank you my beautiful child for teaching me that I cannot keep you from harm, I cannot prevent you from growing as you are meant to grow. I cannot clip your wings - I will leave you to make that decision yourself when you can.