Struggle Means Happiness and Progression

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What would you do if you, a parent of six college kids, earned 43 million dollars? I was first tempted with the thought of, “I’m going to pay off my kids cars, mortgages, and  student loans and everything they have to pay for!!!” I mean with 43 million dollars you have money to spare! But then I think about how struggles have helped me throughout my life. I’m not saying I wouldn’t give my kids anything. With 43 million dollars I would definitely help them out with a few things. But I wouldn’t do everything for them. Some people may think "wow that's selfish to not help your kids pay off everything! I mean that is more than enough money to pay off their bills!" But through my experiences, especially in the last 9 months of marriage, I've realized that struggles are what creates true happiness. My husband and I had 200$ the day we got married. That wasn’t even enough money to pay for gas to get back home after the wedding. It was a very stressful time. But we stuck together and worked hard and we managed to get home and get working at our jobs again. When we moved into our new place we had no furniture excluding our bed. We ate dinner sitting on our bed for 4 months before we got a table and chairs. And we were ecstatic when we got them! I remember the dresser we bought when we had been married for 8 months! I stood in our room and looked at it with a huge smile on my face because my husband no longer had to keep all his clothes in a plastic moving bin. I’m not telling this story to complain. I’m telling this story to express the happiness and excitement we had every time we had a little success because they were things that we worked so hard to get. When you have to work hard and budget to save money for something, you appreciate it so much more than if it were just given to you. Were we miserable when we had no furniture? No. Were we miserable when we had to live out of suitcases and plastic moving bins? No. Were we miserable when our date nights were a 10 dollar pizza and Netflix? Absolutely not! We were still so happy because we were together.So if I had 43 million dollars to spend I would help my kids out a little. But I wouldn’t do everything for them. Because when we struggle together and cling to each other and work hard together, it strengthens our relationships and helps us progress more than we ever thought was possible. And how could I take such a crucial learning opportunity away from my kids?! 

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