other|matters

The Perseverance of Powerlessness 24 August 2009

Sometimes, the struggles of life are those that demand that we persevere through them because we know that they are temporary.  You are hit with a temporary sickness, and you know that in all likelihood it is temporary; thus, we need only persevere through it. 

Some of the struggles of life are those that do not demand that we persevere through them, though that is the challenge.  You are hit with a family tragedy with such force that wonder what the future holds.  Not only must we persevere through those struggles, we must affirm and re-affirm for ourselves that things will get better.

And, there are some struggles that require us to not only persevere through, but to resist (and perhaps fight), because if we fail to resist, then the struggles will continue.  If we do resist appropriately, then the struggle will end.

But, there are some struggles in life that require something deeper from us.  There are some struggles that require us to not resist, because when we resist, when we fight, the result is continued or increasing suffering.  Some struggles require us to accept that we are powerless.  At those points all we have are our needs, and we turn to the One who answers needs.  Thus, the perseverance of those struggles is a perseverance of powerlessness.

This perseverance is sometimes the most difficult because it requires us to subdue fear and ego.  Often, it is a struggle against an anger that is fueled by the feeling of injustice and defenselessness.  It is often in the perseverance of powerlessness that we have nothing, but to trust and hope that God will end the suffering, that Godwill provide us with ease.

But, we might find that in every perseverance, there are aspects of the perseverance of powerlessness.  In every struggle, there are aspects over which we have no power.  For those things, we must let go, or they will continue to unnecessarily traumatize us and consume us.

And Allah knows best.