#19

First, let me apologize for being a slacker on the “31 Days of Life Lessons” blogging challenge. Initially, I had planned on consecutively blogging every day in the month of January, but I failed. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you— I did, in Day #1.)

Second, THANK YOU for reading this. I’ve been surprised and so thankful for the sweet comments and messages some of you have sent me about it. YOU re-confirm that I’m supposed to writing this!

Still wanting to keep my commitment, welcome life lesson #19:

“People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. Joy costs pain.”

As you know, I’m all about trying to encourage people to tell great stories with their lives. It is a beautiful concept, but I fear that I forgot to mention that it’s not always going to be easy. Actually, there’s nothing easy about it at all— telling a great story is WORK.

Telling a great story is going to look different for each person, but is guaranteed to still require effort. change. chance. uncertainty. faith. trust. fear. and most likely tears (guys, it’s okay to cry. promise.) and pain. Sounds appealing, huh?

People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen.

Joy costs pain.

I promise (and even more so, God promises) that doing what it takes to tell a great story is totally worth it now and in the future… so don’t be discouraged when you see a little more pain at times before joy. The joy will come, and when it does, you will be thankful for all the things you went through, and work you had to do to get to that place. It makes you a stronger person and more than that, makes your story better.

“… weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!” Psalm 30:5

Hang in there… joy is on its’ way!