Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Problems that Persist

One of my childhood friends posted this photo of our first grade class on her Facebook page. It is really fun to look back at these old pictures!

I'm the third little girl from the left, in the front row. I never made it out of the front row in elementary school, because I was always one of the shortest kids in the class.



As I looked at this picture I cracked up at the fact that my socks are uneven, and one of them is falling down. My mom will laugh when she reads this, because I still, to this day, am plagued by socks that "won't stay up!" Although I don't wear knee socks with short dresses anymore, I do wear socks under my jeans. It is one of my greatest pet peeves that my socks won't seem to stay up. Ever!

As I looked at this picture and caught a glimpse of how long ago this problem started in my life, I was reminded that sometimes our problems have roots in our long past, and can be very, very persistent!

I don't know if you're like me, but sometimes I get frustrated with how long I've struggled with certain issues in my life. Addictions, bad habits, insecurities, fears, problems, relationship issues, some of these life challenges are downright tenacious.

On the other hand, there are many things that I have overcome through the course of my life. Things that fit into each of the above categories. Some things I have completely overcome. Others I have made significant progress on. Others have barely budged at all.

The key is to keep trying to address and overcome the problems that persist in our lives. Some take longer than others, but that is no excuse to quit trying.

If something is persisting in our lives, we just haven't learned the lesson it is trying to teach us yet. We need to keep at it, until we learn what is ours to learn.

My socks are a funny little reminder of the tenacity of some of our issues.

Never give up!