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REMEMBER, THIS TOO SHALL PASS

A nugget of ancient wisdom that has served me well is the saying “This too shall pass.” It has assisted me in overcoming both the day-to-day annoyances that each of us must face and some very difficult times in my life.

Think about it. Everything comes and then it goes. Problems develop and they disappear. One day we’re on vacation, the next we’re back to work. We get a cold or flu, and it goes away. We develop a minor injury, and in most cases it eventually heals. We anticipate an event, and the next thing you know it’s over. We look forward to the Super Bowl, and the day after we’re anticipating the next season.

There is enormous freedom in remembering this wisdom. In fact, it can be the foundation of a very peaceful life. It serves as an important reminder that everything has a season, a time, and a place. It gives us perspective during hard times, a frame of reference that nothing lasts forever. It gives us hope and confidence that we will get through this—it will pass; it always does.

It’s tempting, for example, when you have very young children to think “I’ll never get a good night’s sleep again.” Without the perspective that “this too shall pass,” it’s easy to get overwhelmed, even hopeless, during these difficult times. Every sleepless night seems as though it will last forever. Your mind is filled with fear. You feel hopeless, trapped, overwhelmed.

But, inevitably, as with everything, the phase passes. Then you’re on to a new set of challenges—the “terrible twos,” for example. The same dynamic is true with all of life’s challenges. You’re going through a crisis and feel you’ll never get past it, but somehow you find a way. You have a big fight with your spouse and swear you’ll never forgive him or her, but eventually you find it in your heart to love him or her again. You’re in the midst of a particularly busy time at work and you feel you can’t take it much longer, and then your schedule gets back to normal. Time and time again, we struggle and move on.

As we look back on our lives, it’s easy to see that all things come and go: winter, spring, summer, and fall; joy, sorrow, praise, and blame; hardship, ease, rest, and exhaustion; accomplishments, mess-ups, and all the rest. Genuine freedom and happiness come when we can see this dynamic, not only in retrospect but while we’re going through something difficult. This way, we can keep our perspective right in the midst of the chaos. When you remember that all things come and go, it allows you to keep your perspective, an open heart, and even a sense of humor during all the phases of your life.

I encourage you to remind yourself of this bit of wisdom whenever you feel annoyed, stressed, or bothered, as well as when you are going through something terribly difficult. Life is very short. Our children are little; they grow up. We are young; we grow old. We will get through it all. The best and most effective way to maintain a grateful spirit and keep yourself from being overwhelmed is to remember that all things—even the hard things—will pass.